The Deceit of Garos
by CrackdownDraco
Summary: AU Fantasy: Nikki and Helen meet after strange happenings. How is Nikki's family connected, and where does Helen fit into the puzzle? With the help of their co-workers and friends they travel to places they never imagined existed. Making new friends - and enemy's - along the way. Not to mention a whole host of new creatures. My first ever fanfic, hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: This is a AU fantasy piece, written for the Bad Girls universe. **

**Summary: Nikki Wade and Helen Stewart meet after strange happenings. How is Nikkis' family connected, and where does Helen fit into the puzzle? With the help of their co-workers and friends they travel to places they never imagined existed. Making new friends - and enemy's - along the way. Not to mention a whole host of new creatures. Sit down, hold on tight, and brace yourselves for the adventure of a lifetime!  
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**This was my first ever fanfic, which I published over at the Nikki and Helen Message Board. © 2005 revised 2011.**

**Last year I did a rewrite, and I plan on reposting to the Nikki and Helen board, but I've decided to take the plunge and post here are well. I'm a bit nervous as I've learnt so much since then, and I can't help but hope that this first effort isn't too dismal. **

**If you like it I'll carry on posting, the chapters are complete, I just haven't had chance to check them over for errors, and I'm sure there will be a few!**

**Disclaimers: Bad Girls, Nikki Wade, Helen Stewart and the associated characters belong to Shed Productions, this was written for fun, and not profit and I promise to return them to their rightful owners safe and sound. However, all other ideas, and copyrights associated with those ideas, belong to me and may not be reproduced in any form without express permission from myself, or from the owners of the Nikki and Helen Message Board. **

**This hasn't been beta read, so sorry for any glaring errors, please feel free to point out any that you might find.**

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_**Edited to add, a few errors have been pointed out, and after accidently hitting delete I'm having to re-submit the story. Hope it doesn't confuse**_

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**Reviews welcomed.**

**Offhand I can't think of anything else except: I hope you enjoy.**

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The Deceit of Garos

Chapter one.

It was one of those sunsets that appeared to defy nature, it was the sort that bored right through your skull and hit your brain without seeming to pass through your eyes. The overall effect became a myriad of red, pink, blue, purple, grey and black hues. Its effect was evanescent and peaceful. Indeed this was no ordinary scene; it was one of many eternal images that were around this magical place.

In a small building tucked away on the outskirts of one of the main areas that were occupied by the those that lived here, a tall, slim, dark man stood at his window and looked out over the domain that belonged to Garos and he wondered if the world below could cope with what he was about to do. Could the people handle the truth about The Grith? He himself harboured doubts about whether the human race was ready for the action he planned to take, but too much wrong was being done. The time to act was now. He, as the Guardian of light to do something, he had to protect mankind.

Looking around surveying the carnage of the battlefield Lucan found it hard to believe that it had only been 24 hours since the opposing sides had confronted each other. Many had perished in fierce fighting that followed, the beautiful sunset now marred by bodies piled up high, pools of new, fresh, bright red blood quickly congealing over the caked dried blood that had already seeped into the ground, mingled in with this were the swords and shields of the dead littered all over the ground. It was a horror landscape; enormous craters replaced what had been sweet green fields. The wonders of the previous smells now obliterated, the fresh grass, the newly cut hay, the flowers and the dew now all erased in a new overpowering smell and emotion of death, death masked all.

Sat astride his white charger Lucan oozed an almost visible power, both he and his steed appeared bathed in a blue haze, an aura that could not be broken. The halo above his head beamed radiant silver. Blazing a light as it had never done before. This vista made even more powerful as it was all lit brighter by the lightening flashes which accompanied the thunderstorm that was raging, this was no ordinary storm, this had been created by the enemy to try and thwart Lucan's grand plan. The rain was yet to join its brother and sister of thunder and lightening but would be there shortly.

All those alive felt that when that happened, a shift in the balance of power would take place in Garos's favour. Up until then he had been losing despite the fact Lucan's forces only numbered a third of his own. Lucan felt no despair it was far from over. He knew his enemies had placed far too much confidence on the approaching storm; the real victory would not take place here if this battle were lost.

The Guardians of The Grith carried on fighting relentless in the battle. Among the toiling fighters a Guardian, (a man to look at in all respects), glowing a golden colour thanks to the aura around him, broke off and went to Lucan's side.

Speaking in rushed tones he looked up to Lucan, "My Lord, the left flank is hard hit, we can hold for now but we look to your guidance." The clash of swords and shields as well as the many death cries almost drowned out his words.

With a graceful bow of his head Lucan replied. "Fear not" The reply soothed instantly with the gentle tone of his voice. Yet, despite the soft speech the voice cut through the noises of the battle with ease. "We have a certain amount of time on our side we may use the horses off the central column to bolster those weakened forces. I myself will command by leading those mounted into the fight."

"But my Lord, if you are lost then the battle is all but over"

"We only need to halt the advance for a short while my old friend, there are some issues which I haven't yet talked to you about, however shortly I hope to be able to reveal all. Do you trust me Carod?"

With a wry smile that almost became a laugh Carod replied. "Lucan my dear friend, if I didn't trust you I would hardly be here now."

That comment in turn caused Lucan to smile. "You always did manage to bring lightness to everything. We have been through so much you and I, but now we must concentrate our efforts on this war. If we lose this war then mankind is doomed."

As if noticing the noises being made in the background for the first time, Lucan raised his head, looking at the battling troops he motioned with his hand towards the centre of the field where the main battle forces were.

"See the false prophet; he marshals those around him making them believe he is the one true Guardian. It is telling that those who back him are mostly young Guardians. Less than a thousand years old in many cases. If those Guardians had been here at the very beginning of time, they would have realized the truth and seen behind his deception. As for those few older Guardians, I can only assume that they think they can add to their own greed and wealth by supporting Garos."

Lucan paused as if to gather his thoughts. "If I lose this battle people for many millennia will believe me to be the false prophet, they will be led to believe that it is me that has a wrongdoers heart beating inside him. History is written by those that win and Garos is so good at making people believe what they want to believe rather than what they should believe it will be hard for anyone to mount a defence against those sorts of charges. However, I hope that the plans I have put in place can prove, if not straight away, that I am indeed the true ruler of this Realm."

With a slight shake to bring him self out of the revere he appeared to be in his beautiful face hardened as he spoke to Carod. "Come my friend, it is time to muster our mounted forces to that left side, please go and tell them of my intentions."

Hoisting his sword out from its scabbard and the shield from across the pommel of the saddle Lucan spurred his mount forward.

Wasting no time Carod started to make his way back to the battling forces he had left moments earlier. Bravely they still fought against overwhelming odds, the clashes sounding even louder now as if all involved sensed a new urgency to the fight, even if not fully understanding why they should feel this way. As Carod reached the edge of the melee an opposing Guardian broke through the ranks and headed in his direction.

Hoisting his shield to a defensive position Carod automatically placed his feet to create a solid stance to greet his foe head on. His one main advantage lay in the fact that he was on stable even ground where as the attacking Guardian had to cross uneven earth made slippery by the spilt blood of those already wounded or killed which meant he would reach Carod off balance.

The spilt second that was used for this information to be processed by Carod's brain was all the time his enemy needed to reach fighting distance. With no sound and only thoughts of regret that yet another Guardian would almost certainly be killed in this fading evening light. Carod reached forward to parry the sword strike that was being hefted his way. With a clash the sparks flew as the two weapons met.

With no conscious thought Carod easily deflected the opposing sword away and was able to strike a decisive crippling blow to his opponents arm. Not willing to kill unnecessarily Carod, as always, decided he would give his opponent the chance to yield.

With a heavy heart the question passed from his lips. "Do you wish to yield? If you do I promise no harm will come of you."

The answer was short, defiant and was almost spat out "I will never yield to those who think they are the one true Guardian."

The sorrow Carod felt was immense as he replied. "Then may there be mercy on your eternal soul." He dealt the swift, instant deathblow.

Looking around Carod soon spied Kealad, a dark haired man who was the very capable and brave commander of this flank and who, at present was busily engaged in fighting two of the enemy. He was holding his own, but in the time it would take to defeat both of them his strength was going to be sorely sapped, to the degree that it may leave him in danger of being overwhelmed. Holding his sword and shield ready for more action Carod shouldered his way through the throngs of fighters to aid him.

A nod from the commander was all Kealad could afford to give in acknowledgement of Carod's presence as sparks once again flew from Realm swords hitting defensive shields made out of the same unearthly material. Much lighter than steel but with ten times the strength the metal here shone with a rich hue. Flashes that were created lit the sky and sparked all the colours of Earths most spectacular rainbows.

The parries of all four of those involved were fast and furious, but thanks to Carod's help the two opponents were quickly weakening and at once, in quick succession both fell to Carod and Kealad's blades.

Knowing that Carod would be bringing word from Lucan Kealad turned and said. "Quick, over here," he pointed back the way Carod had come. "We should be safe from the fighting back there for some while."

The breath from all those around sent steam up into the cold night time air as Kealad and Carod headed for the relative safety of the higher ground.

As they turned to face each other Carod was struck by the look of pain on Kealad's face, worried he hastily asked, "Are you alright?"

The reply was laden with total grief. "I almost feel like my soul has died today, I wish my brother had believed what was truly going on. I had hoped we would not meet on the battlefield but unfortunately fate was to deal us a cruel blow by forcing us to fight each other. I have now killed my precious brother Abrais, and my heart is weighted down with this terrible knowledge."

Reaching out, Carod placed his hand on Kealads's shoulder. "My friend, many of us have been pitted against others in our family or against old and valued friends, but I know your closeness to your brother was immense, I feel for your hard loss now."

"Your kindness has touched me greatly Carod, and I hope to be able to spend time later to grieve Abrais properly, but now I must put my personal feeling aside as the most important business is to try and win this fight without too much more bloodshed."

"Aye, that must sadly be our thoughts now." Carod agreed as he glanced around. "And to that end I bring news from Lucan. He is mustering horses from the central battle which he will lead over here himself to command."

Kealad visibly paled at that news. "But if Lucan is killed during the fighting then our cause is surely lost!"

"Have faith Kealad, I am not privy to Lucan's exact plans but I feel there is yet more to come, the troops he is leading should be here soon."

"I hope you are right in this matter Carod." Kealad sighed before carrying on in voice made weary by the violence that surrounded them, "I do so hope that you are right."

Meanwhile at a different part of the battlefield Lucan had arrived at the head of the mounted column, which consisted of five hundred Guardians with steeds as black as the night that was now totally upon them. Lucan soon found Jaris the leader of the troops. A tall Guardian he was easy to spot due to his immense physical stance. Few men got to tower over Jaris. Lucan was one of those few.

Unusually for a Guardian, Jaris spoke with quite a harsh, gruff edge to his voice. As one of the first Guardians to arrive in The Grith his life had been made very hard by Garos. Only Jaris, Lucan and Garos knew exactly what had transpired to make Jaris feel this way. Jaris would refuse to talk to others about it. When asked he would just cite personal reasons but it had left him very bitter about the ruler of a place that in Jaris's mind should have been full of love and understanding but quite often was full of suspicion and an underlying fear of the terror that Garos had proved himself capable of inflecting.

Although Jaris was mounted he still bowed his head in deference to Lucan as overall commander of this revolution. Many felt Lucan had been robbed of his true place as the overall divine spiritual leader of The Grith and in turn Guardian of Earth.

"Sire, do you bring news from other areas of the battlefront?" Jaris, as normal, was forthright in the way he spoke. Very few would have got away with his brusqueness.

"I do," was Lucan's assured reply. "The left flank is severely weakened but not yet over run. I intend to lead your troopers into the battle to aid them."

"Sire, as you wish." Jaris was the one whom Lucan knew would never question his orders or motives. The consummate soldier, Jaris was hardened by many years of enforced hard labour in penance imposed by Garos as a punishment for the personal issues that had happened between the two men.

Being the only other person that knew what had happened Lucan felt grateful that Jaris was on his side. Simply Garos had used Jaris unjustly. In needing a scapegoat on Earth to cover up a bad mistake made by an important prophet Garos had un-mercilessly thrown Jaris to the people on Earth who had vilified him forever. The real breaking point had been when Jaris had objected to being used in this cold hard hearted way and it had been that objection which had earned him the punishment.

"Are your forces ready to move?" Lucan asked, hopeful he would get an affirmative answer as speed was now of the essence.

"Yes sire," as hoped the reply was swift. "I can give the call to arms straight away if you so wish"

"Then please do so without delay"

"Sir, yes Sir."

Jaris turned to his troops. Somehow in the way typical of all military officers he managed to make himself easily heard by all five hundred men even with the noises of battles going on. "Troop, the call to arms has been made. Lucan himself will be taking direct command. Remember keep the battle formation tight and be accurate. Take as many prisoners as possible. No-body here wishes to kill any more than they have to."

As one unit there was a rousing response of. "Yes Sir." This was followed by the clang of metal, the squeak of leather and the general rustling of cloth as each man made a last quick safety check of their equipment. The failure of basic but important items could not be an issue in the heat of battle.

The horses started to sense that the time for action was finally upon them. Many started to stamp about with their hooves, eager to be moving. The sound of horseshoes hitting the ground became almost overwhelming to any that were in earshot.

Lucan decided he would speak before he moved the troop forward and in that same soft voice that seemed to just float above the loud background he commanded. "Men" there was a slight pause while they all turned around to listen. "Many of you may not return from this fight but be aware that this tyrants rule must be brought to an end. Garos is not the good kind being that he has led the human race to believe he is, he is a deceiver, a most malicious thing indeed. Huge numbers will suffer if he is not stopped now. This is something we can and will do. We must do. May those that perish while trying to defeat Garos have peace on their eternal soul. I bless each and every one of you."

Knowing enough had been said Lucan turned his horse towards the left flank before giving the first of many orders to the troopers that night. "Troops top speed to the left flank, March."

As they looked towards the people fighting below them from the higher ground where they still stood, Carod and Kealad both heard a new sound. Seemingly it punctured its way through the air, cutting its way into the storm and battle. Together they turned to look behind them and witnessed the columns of mounted troops being led by Lucan heading their way. Lucan seemed to show against the background as radiating whites, silvers and blues. Colours seemed to bounce off him at all angles despite the blackness of the night.

The sound Carod and Kealad had heard was the thud of the horse's hooves beating on the ground and with that sound came the vibrations being felt from underfoot as the troopers made their way towards the weakened battlefront.

The opposing side seemed to be suddenly aware of the reinforcements, which caused them to redouble their efforts. Knowing that if they made no real headway soon then things could bogged down for some time with no real indication as too the final outcome.

The noises of the horses making their way forward was getting louder, the clamour of the hooves on the ground mingled with the sounds of leather, metal and horse flesh moving at a steady speed. Combining with the ever increasing vibrations it made an impressive, even frightening sight. Carod and Kealad felt relief for a brief second.

However, this was tempered by the knowledge that they still had a long way to go, but they hoped the extra reinforcements would provide them with the much-needed incentive to push the advantage forward in their favour.

They could see the column splitting into three to provide greater cover. Lucan had obviously given the order ahead of arriving in the middle of the fight knowing that would be the most effective use of the manpower available to him. Carod and Kealad were also starting to hear snippets of Lucan's orders. His voice carried so clearly over every thing else. As the middle of the three columns drew ever nearer the order to engage the enemy could be distinctly heard. Looking at each other Carod and Kealad knew that the time had come to join the fight. They'd both had the luxury of being away from the carnage for a very short time and they felt that it was already more than they deserved.

Hours later the fighting had broken off, many more lay dead, dying or injured on the battlefield, as the night had got blacker the full force of the thunder storm had hit. No man could see to engage his enemy in such conditions, rain slanted down as though it were sheets of glass, clothes soon saturated to the point where people could hardly move under the combined weight of heavy cloth and armour. Orders had been issued allowing the two opposing sides to cease fighting. Field commanders on both sides would be using this lull in proceedings to allow the regrouping of men and to take stock of what had happened to their respective sides. Mud as thick and as black as the night itself clung to everything.

The ground already saturated with the spilt blood of those who had perished, was now an unrecognisable quagmire. Any remnants of lush, green pastures that had graced this place before were now long forgotten. Lucan stood, still mounted with his three commanders around him. They looked weary and each must have felt despondent even though they didn't show it. The battle, even with the extra mounted troops, had not gone in their favour; the overwhelming odds were just proving to be insurmountable for those involved in the fight. Lucan decided the time had come to inform them of his long-term plan.

Looking at each man in turn he spoke their names. "Carod, Kealad and Jaris, you are all my loyal friends for which I thank you. No words can express my gratitude to each of you and no words can portray the loyalty you have shown to the cause and me. We have lost many and although we have right on our side, we may lose this battle,"

At this the three started to protest, Lucan held up his hand to silence them. "Please my friends let me continue, as I said the battle may be lost but I believe the war can and will be won. Unbeknown to you I have found a secret so great Garos put to death any who discovered it. Such is its threat to his power. I believe this secret can aid us in our fight and may win us the war. It may take time to win the next battle but I believe that battle will be decisive. The reason I choose today to start this war was the important of the sky. We have an ally in the thermosphere, which Garos has forgotten about in his overconfidence. I refer to The Great Comet. It is one of the most powerful bodies in the universe and tonight the comet is at its strongest and for the purpose I have in mind I will need all of that strength."

Lucan knew he had amazed the three in front of him. Unable to hide the astonishment in their faces, Carod seemed to pull himself together the quickest and asked. "My Lord, I have heard stories of such a thing but I have never heard anything that could be called proof, just rumours and no more. I do not doubt your word but I find myself doubting The Great Comets power. Surely this astrological body does not have the ability to make such a difference?"

"Aye," Jaris agreed. "I also heard such things when I was doing my hard labour, but nobody every thought it more than fanciful talk used to give hope to those incarcerated."

Noting Kealad had yet to speak. Lucan turned towards him and asked of him. "Kealad, I notice you have not spoken on this matter. Yet you look troubled, please speak your thoughts without fear, your counsel is always valuable to me."

"It is true I am troubled by this news Lord," looking at the others Kealad carried on. "I had also heard such rumours as you. Indeed I had also dismissed them as fanciful talk, and I then lost a friend to a sudden and unexplained death. This friend had told me just before he died he was in search of information to prove the rumours to be true. I never heard from him again and yet, even knowing that, I find myself doubting the ability of such an object to create the awesome power to which you are referring."

"Ah, well." Lucan smiled gently, "my friends, in your honest counsel lies part of the answer I can now share with you. The secret was is so heavily guarded it has taken me many years to perfect the objects needed to harness the power in the only way possible."

With those words he removed from his sodden robes, which were under the protection of his armour, a small wooden box, unassuming in its look, plain and unadorned.

Opening the box up Lucan carried on talking. "The box its self is of no importance, it is simply a vessel made with the sole purpose of protecting the sphere inside. This sphere could be one of the most important things in the history of The Grith and Earth."

All eyes were now on Lucan's hands as he carefully removed the inner material that covered the object inside. The expectation was so great by those watching it was almost tangible. Then it came into view. A glass sphere that seemed to show many different colours at once, a small luminous orb that caught the eye while it took the breath away due to its sheer beauty, a mist seemed to flow within giving the illusion that it was alive. The lightening that was still flashing around the battlefield lit it up, and they could see it looked as if the orb was trying to grow, straining against an unseen leash. It had a wondrous strength. Yet, somehow, that was tempered with a gentle vulnerability.

Looking up from his task Lucan smile gentled at his friends' wonderment as he carried on explaining the plan. "This sphere has the ability to transcend the realms of The Grith and Earth, but it can't travel by normal avenues as their power is not strong enough. If it can be sent to Earth using the power generated by The Great Comet it will change shape and form, a complete metamorphosis. Then it will have become objects that can be used on Earth to challenge Garos's authority. These objects will reveal and then prove his word as false."

Lucan could see that fascination now gripped those around him He paused from his task to look directly at Carod, "and now," he said. "I arrive at the hardest part of my plan as it involves me asking you to make a great personal sacrifice."

Carod nodded, indicating his desire to hear the rest of what Lucan proposed before he would make comment.

"The sphere cannot travel unguarded, it is too dangerous. The method of travel used means the sphere is unprotected leaving it vulnerable to damage. Such damage would render it useless. Unfortunately this box is not stable enough to use on its own. Somebody must take the sphere to ensure its safe arrival, and once they reach Earth they will become mortal with no hope of return. What do you say my friend, the risk is great but the rewards will, in time, be immense. I feel you three are the only ones I can trust to tell of this task and Carod, you especially. I feel for such a matter of importance you are the only one I can really ask to become the messenger."

The silence that followed what Lucan said seemed to last half of the night that remained but in reality could not have been more than thirty seconds.

Taking a swift glance at the others Carod drew in a shaky breath before he would trust his voice. "Lucan, I address you now as an old friend, not the holder of titles. You say the courier will become human with no hope of return, but does the job involve more than just being the carrier of the sphere to Earth or will more be required once Earth is reached?"

"A valid question my friend, yes there will be more required but it should be small matters in relation to the task that has already taken place. The sphere after it has changed will need hiding and guarding for a while. If you decide to go I would also hope that you would be able to live your life in a complete and happy way. Maybe some kin for you with a life free from the horrors of battle? Some good should come out of this sacrifice."

Jaris was the next to speak. "And the sphere, what does that become?"

Lucan laughed a pleasant light sound. "Forgive me, I do not meant to make light of the situation but as always Jaris you are the practical one. In answer the sphere becomes scrolls, one of which will be able to guide Carod, if he agrees to go, in what he should do next."

"I thank you for that answer," Jaris said. "However, please allow me to be practical once more. What is the catch?"

"Ah yes," Lucan's expression softened greatly. "I am afraid you are right, there is a catch, the scrolls will be sent back to a time where their use would be pointless, and they would not be understood. Upon this matter I have no control. They must stay hidden until such time as mankind can understand their message."

Kealad then spoke. "My Lord, the power from the Great Comet sounds immense. How do you hope to harness such a thing?"

Lucan knew his answer would be the one that could make or break this happening. If all three commanders felt it would work then they would back the plan. "The way to harness this lies in a simple object that is made using not such simple materials. The secret I found, the one your friend would have died for Kealad, was the use of certain rare metals and minerals in the forge process while a shield is being made. You have all often commented on how much more my shield shines in certain lights, the way it often refracts light in a way different to others. These metals and minerals are the reason why. When this shield is held up to catch the light rays from the Great Comet during the Comets brightest hour on the correct night of the correct year the reflected beams will create an energy field that will cause a portal to be formed between the two realms. Whereas this portal is stable, its short duration also means it is only open for a very limited time. It stays open long enough for the single journey to be made one way, but like I said, no return. It is also the energy beams created inside the portal which, once passed through, make the traveller mortal and the scrolls visible. My friends do you support me in this action?"

The silence that followed seemed to encompass all other sounds for some distance such was its strength. Then the replies came.

"I pledge myself to this plan," was Jaris's gruff response. "Let us go and make this portal. If Carod feels he is unable to go I would go in his stead."

"There is no need for that kind offer Juda," Carod's voice was firm. "I shall willingly make this journey and hope that it creates a healing tide for all to use."

"I also pledge myself to this course of action." Kealad turned to Carod and spoke to him directly. "Go in peace, may you have a safe journey and a long and happy life on Earth, my thoughts and prayers are with you. May there be mercy on your eternal soul."

Lucan looked at his friends with immense pride. "Then let us forge ahead and deal the blow which should defeat not just our enemy but the enemy of all mankind. The time for action is upon us."

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	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter Two

Stars were struggling to be seen, clouds from the storm still hung around, drifting along looking like spectres floating on the wind, inter-dispersed by the odd rumble of thunder and flash of lightening. The sky mingled dark blues, grey, purples and blacks. It seemed as if the whole sky was deliberately interlaying the colours for more effect. Everywhere the eye looked it created a beautiful sight, if only the landscape below was as serene. Opposing armies had regrouped, the general noises coming from the ranks was underpinned by the sounds of nervous talking. Neither side seemed to want to make the first move to carry on the battle. The vestiges of the first bloody skirmish still fresh in the air.

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The unease and uncertainty seemed to seep into every pore, and then slowly another emotion started to stir. Lucan's army had started to retreat the way they had come. Moving back up onto a plateau, this didn't appear to give any clear military advantage. Disbelief from the opposite ranks was mingled with puzzlement, what was happening? The strategy seemed to make no sense, why would they yield so much of the hard fought over ground?

Both main foot and mounted troops were moving as if to mimic the inner circle of a target with the outer rim being made up of auxiliary troops. The unpredictable nature of it all made Garos's already nervous army much more on edge. A taut silence started to descend on their ranks. Garos knew he had to find a reason why this action appeared to be happening. Turning to his right he barked an order to a nearby commander. "We need answers to this unexpected move. I want to know what is happening. Now!"

In contrast to Lucan's quiet soothing tones Garos's voice sounded harsh and uncompromising. It was the sort of voice that accepted no argument and expected instant compliance and indeed this is what happened. The commander didn't even waste time with a reply. He just curtly nodded his head in acceptance of the order.

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Meanwhile on the other side of the battlefield an almost perfect outer circle had been formed, it stood six deep and it comprised purely of those on foot. All mounted troops had been ordered to help bolster the inner defence. A general order had been sent through the ranks that even enemy forces waving flags of truce were not to be allowed passage through the outer defensive line. If they were bearing a message of peace then the messenger was not to be harmed, but they could not be allowed into the inner sanctum, a message was to be sent and a senior commander would come to them or they could leave a message with the outer defences that would be relayed up.

Rumours were circulating through both sets of ranks that Lucan had some new great powerful weapon. And like a Chinese whisper the weapon got bigger and more powerful every time the story was relayed so in the end they were saying it was a weapon that could destroy all of his enemies in one decisive move. Most that heard this rumour would have been amazed to know the truth.

Next, as if on cue, a rider broke away from Garos's troops. The horse was a magnificent grey charger. Muscles rippling in perfect symmetry, its proud carriage indicated an animal which had been breed to impress and impress it certainly did. Horse and rider seemed to move as one. In his right hand the rider held a white pennant as a sign of peace. This pennant would be the guarantee of a safe passage.

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On reaching the outer defences made by Lucan's forces the commander spoke to the nearest ranking officer. "I bring word from your opposing forces. Please grant me access to pass this on to the Privy Council as a message of peace."

Expecting the standard chivalry that allowed safe passage directly to the highest commander or overall leader, the messenger was therefore shocked to discover the mass of people before him did not automatically move allowing his access to the central core of men.

As if anticipating the query the sergeant in the ranks whom he had addressed spoke. "Sorry sir, I may either take a verbal message directly or go and collect a commander to bring here to deal with your parley. We, unfortunately, cannot grant you passage, we have explicit orders to that effect."

As any professional would, the messenger was able to hide the surprise he felt at this statement. Weighing up the situation he decided there would be little information gained waiting for a commander to be fetched.

He also decided the sergeant was an honourable man who would deliver the message safely. "Please pass this message on then," he quickly said. "Our exulted Leader Garos wishes to extend an amnesty to all those who oppose him. This amnesty will last the rest of the night and until the middle of the day tomorrow. Exoneration will be considered broken if your forces attack at any point during that period. In that event, all offers will then become null and void."

"Your offer will be duly noted and will be delivered without delay to the higher commanders," the sergeant's reply was equally brisk and business like. "As you arrived under a flag of truce so you shall be allowed to depart."

"Your courtesy in this matter is much appreciated. I wish each and every one of you Good Speed." The messenger turned his horse away from Lucan's ranks and headed back towards his own.

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The sergeant turned to his right, at his side stood a young Guardian, indeed one of the few younger ones to have joined Lucan's cause. He was a keen young man and the sergeant knew he could be trusted.

"You heard and understood the message?" The sergeant asked.

There was no hesitation. "Yes sir I did."

"As promised I wish you to deliver it to the inner sanctum without delay."

"Certainly sir, will there be anything else before I leave?"

"No, just wait to see if there is a reply or any further orders then return here."

The sergeant looked back across what had now become a wasteland between the two sets of troops. "And if nothing else the amnesty will give us time to rest, a precious thing in these troubled times."

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With a nod the young Guardian turned. Quickly he made his way through the auxiliary ranks, many still covered in the blood of Guardians they had killed or the blood of their friends and comrades. Every so often a bandage could be seen, once white but all too often grey from the filth and grim that now surrounded everything. Hardly a thing remained recognisable. The entire known landscape seemed to have just vanished. As the young man walked along he looked about in total awe, the battle site had been well chosen, and it was well away from populated built up areas, so protecting the innocents.

While Guardians needed no material things their human form appreciated the emotional comforts a building could bring. It was in one such building his family lived and for that he was grateful. The valley they occupied at this moment was shaped like a horseshoe, only it looked like somebody had knocked the toe out of the shoe allowing equal access from either side. On the sides beyond there were lush green mountains, all were, by some miracle, untouched by the carnage. Only the valley itself had been desecrated by recent events. Above the basin there were still semi wooded slopes with clear sparkling streams winding their way through the trees and fields. Greens of every colour from the blades of grass to the bracken leaves glittered bright in the occasional starlight. Trees with leaves of green, red and copper mixed in their rich colours to this wonderful natural tapestry. All this beauty tugged at the young man's heart and he hoped the message he brought to the commanders would bring all this death and destruction to a speedy end.

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Lucan, Carod and the others watched from a distance as the rider approached the outer defences. Their main hope was that nothing would give away the plan set in motion which would send Carod and the sphere through the portal. They knew that Garos would work out what was happening once the rays of light from The Great Comets tail hit Lucan's shield, but by then it should be too late for Garos to mount any real defence leaving them enough time to complete the task. If Garos realized what they were doing before then it may just give him enough time to interfere using the remnants of the storm. Lightening would be a good weapon against the portal as it would be light energy versus light energy.

Timing was going to be critical so they were all relieved when the rider was kept at the outer defence. Pleased to see that order had obviously reached the outer rim. They had decided on this extreme course of action as a last resort. Too much was at stake even though it was a huge breach in protocol. Risking the opposition getting any ideas as to what they were doing was not something they dare let happen. They did not want to increase the chances of failure.

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Jaris was pacing up and down, nerves apparent in his face. Kealad stood looking out towards the Eastern sky knowing the Comets tail would come into view very soon. Carod and Lucan stood shoulder to shoulder. Carod kept reaching inside his woollen robes to place his hand on the wooden box that was now entrusted to him. He watched as a young Guardian broke away from their own ranks a few seconds after the messenger had turned his horse around and ridden back to the opposing lines.

A stalling message was Carod's guess, to try and gain information on what they were planning. If the message were any more than that they surely would have demanded to see a commander. That, at least, was one small sign of good luck. In only a short time the Comets appearance would be made.

As if sensing his thoughts Lucan turned to him. "My biggest regret is that I shall be saying goodbye to you very shortly my dear friend, but if we win this war be assured I shall entrust your eternal soul back to The Grith when we are reunited."

"That is the day I look forward to with all of my being Lucan. My biggest regret is that I will not be at your side at the battles end, whichever way that should go."

At that moment the young Guardian they had seen leave the ranks arrived, he was slightly out of breath from the walk up the slope to the plateau where they were standing. "My Lords," he began. "An amnesty has been offered until midday tomorrow, any attack made by our forces before that time will invalidate this offer."

"Thank you," Lucifer's reply was thoughtful. "Please return with new orders for the troops. If Garos does not see what we are about to do as a direct attack then the amnesty should still hold true. If it holds up I wish all Guardians to take up this pardon. We will know what Garos plans after a bright ray of light appears in the sky and focuses on this plateau. Please stress to everybody I ask them to do this not as defeat or surrender but as the best way to prevent further loss of life. However, if Garos sees this next move as an assault on his troops then I will leave each man to make up their own mind as to the course of action they wish to take."

Bowing low the Guardian acknowledged Lucan. "As you say my lord." Then the youngster turned and left, making as much haste as he could down the slippery slope.

"Well my friends, that amnesty could help our cause. I had been worried about how we could reduce the number of casualties once Carod had left, the amnesty could do just that."

With a brief pause to look up at the sky Lucan continued. "And now my friends the time grows ever nearer, let us say our goodbyes and prepare for Carods departure."

Jaris stopped pacing a few paces away from Carod at those words; suddenly he crossed the distance between them in two huge strides before encompassing Carod in a hug. Thumping Carods back, and, in a rare moment of emotion, his voice cracked slightly as he said in halting tones. "My friend, I have not been one to speak many words over the years but I shall miss you. May your road be smooth and the wind always be at your back, may your life as a mortal be filled with company and laughter, and most of all let us hope that this journey will be a healing one for all of mankind."

As Jaris finished speaking the other two were at once gathered around. Each in turn gave Carod hugs and their best wishes. Tears now sparkled in everybody's eyes knowing that the time had come for what could be the final goodbye.

Breaking away Lucan looked up to the east. "Well my old friend, the time has come. The Comet is now in view. I feel we have been lucky, there is no sign from Garos's ranks that he knows what is happening. In a few minutes the Comets tail should flare with the brightest of colours as it only able to do every few thousand years. That signals our moment."

Carod nodded, unable to trust his voice. He knew that once the portal had been opened there would be little or no time for thought. Part of him dully noted that Lucan was starting to shoulder his shield in readiness.

Jaris and Kealad, along with the other commanders nearby, stepped away leaving just Carod and Lucan in a clear space of about sixty square foot. Lucan had assured them that once opened the portal would not be large, enough for a man to pass through and no more. Also, the smaller the portal the harder it would be to strike it down with the lightening. And Garos would almost certainly try that once he realized what was going on.

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Overall they had estimated they had two clear minutes before Garos would be in a position to act. Two very important minutes that might change the destiny of the entire world. At once the light seemed upon them, the hues almost more powerful than they could stand to look at. Lucan stood in its middle, radiated in colours too many for the senses to process.

His shield then seeming to absorb it all as easily as a cloth would absorb liquid. It was an eerie sight, creating the effect of the immediate area being sucked in to that one space for a very brief second. The sides edged black and the landscape around looking as if it was being pulled into the centre of the shield. Everything looked as thought it were made from elastic. It appeared to stay there for a brief second before bouncing back with a huge rush to its correct place in the universe, only there was one difference. The portal had formed. The edges flowing away from Lucan and Carod like ribbons in the wind. In that instant all heard a terrible roar. Everything seemed to vibrate such was its power.

Startled into looking around, Carod saw the storm clouds rushing as if summoned towards the opposing line of troops. At once Carod realized Garos must have worked out what was happening and was trying to thwart their attempts to use the portal. Lightening crackled and sparkled above Garos's troops, then somehow, the lightening seemed to drawn down into one point before erupting upwards in two straight lines. Knowing he could afford no more time Carod started towards the portal, all of his senses seemed more acute. Every nerve tingled as if charged with some sort of electrical power. His peripheral vision took in the sight of Lucan, shield still held high, then of Jaris and Kealad standing in front of the commanders group looking concerned.

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The rippling sides of the portal took up Carod's main vision more and more. The pressure was building up around him, pushing against his body making it harder for him to breath. By the time he reached the threshold Carod was no longer sure which way he was facing, all he could feel were the external forces that propelled his body into the centre of the portal. Now was the point of no return. Pulled from one side and pushed from another there was an increase in speed, felt more than seen, the images swirling around him in a kaleidoscope of colour. Everything went faster and faster in a sensory overload, until in almost blessed relief, consciousness was lost, blackness arriving in an instant. Carod would never be aware that as he had entered the portal lightening had struck the ground not two foot away. He had only just made it.

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Slowly conscious thought seeped in, head thumping at every move so even opening an eye hurt, Carod groaned, he was sure he had become human. While Guardians had emotions and feelings they were nothing quite like this. All negative emotions had been muted while his life had been in The Grith. However, with the thump that was happening in his skull Carod knew beyond doubt he was not a Guardian anymore.

Not wanting to move any more than was necessary, Carod decided to see if he could reach inside his robes without waves of nausea sweeping over him. When he did so he was relived to find his hand closed around what felt like scrolls. Next to the scrolls he felt splinters from the wooden box .With a sigh of relief that they were all safe, Carod wondered how long he had been lying there.

The ground felt soft, and a slight dampness had seeped through his robes. Carod knew he would have to move soon, realizing the dampness was not the most pleasant sensation. However, that was tempered against the way his body protested each time he moved and so Carod made the decision to stay lying there a little bit longer. He pulled his robes tighter against his body and fitfully slept.

Once Carod awoke he was surprised to find warmth was on his body, carefully opening an eye for the first time his vision saw blue sky. The sun newly emerged. Turning his head Carod saw mist rising off the ground. Pleased to find he could now move with only a small amount of pain he pushed himself up with his elbow to take stock of his surroundings.

The landscape was not something he recognized straight away. No lush green pastures. Instead he was confronted with rough, tough looking grasses often speckled with slightly thicker yellow coloured clumps. Amongst this were dark green reeds standing about a foot high, again in clumps. They dotted the entire landscape.

The dampness which Carod had felt earlier came from the loam underneath him. It felt softer and more like a sponge that the soil he had previously known. He could also see areas that a man would have to wade through because of the deeper pockets of water. No doubt some of those ponds contained bogs which would have to be avoided.

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Now feeling strong enough to stand Carod felt a moment of alarm. As he moved he felt the remains of the wooden box give way and fall from his robes. Forgetting for a brief moment that he had reached for the scrolls earlier, Carod patted at his robes where the box had been and as he felt the lump that were the scrolls, remembered with relief he had found them safe before.

Unsure of what to do next or even which direction he would go in Carod forced himself to think. A scroll, that was it, Lucan had told him a scroll would be able to help guide him once he reached Earth. So very carefully he extracted the small tightly rolled bundle from beneath his robes. Indeed the top scroll looked different, as if it didn't quite belong with the others. Untying the leather thong that held the bundle together Carod carefully removed the topmost scroll before fastening the remainder with care. He wasn't going to take a chance of losing a scroll, a few minutes spent now securing the scrolls would make no difference to the task at hand.

Happy that they were all safe and back under his robes Carod unrolled the one he had just removed. Not much was written on the parchment and somehow the lack of information did not surprise him. He knew a lot already from what Lucan had told him, all he needed was help in was finding the correct place to hide the scrolls. The writing was bold and clear making it easy to read.

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'_**This scroll should guide you to a safe place where the other scrolls can be hidden. You have arrived at a time in history when the Celtic beliefs are still held firmly. Garos's influence is not yet ready to take hold of these people as they cling to their old beliefs. This should aid you to live a normal, happy and long life. You are now in England, and you should start your journey towards the South, after a couple of hours you will come across a group from the Saloian tribe. They have been worshipping The Great Comet as their ancestors have done for many years, however this year they have also seen the light from the portal, with luck they should see your coming as an omen and so will aid you in hiding the scroll. Once you have reached your destination and done all of this no more shall be asked of you, you may if you wish destroy this scroll, as there is no more help that can be given to you.' **_

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With a strange pang of nostalgic emotion Carod read the final lines. It was the last vestige of his old life and that touched him deeply.

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Surveying the landscape Carod noted it was similar to the area where he was standing, plain and boggy. Checking the direction he was to head into to against the position of the sun, Carod started to make his way south. His journey was not terribly harsh. The ground was flat and springy underfoot, although he had to wade his way through some of the deeper water pools. The early morning soon turned into the sort of autumn day where the mist would not quite clear in certain places but when it did, all around were bathed in wonderful warmth from the sun. Where the mist lingered sounds and shapes seemed distorted.

Once or twice he witnessed foxes scurrying across the plain hunting for the odd rabbit or hare he had also seen. Birds were chirping in the distance, some could be seen flitting about in front of him sounding and looking eerie through the misty air. Every so often Carod would pause at the springs that bubbled up through the earth. The water as clear and pure as anything known to man, chilled perfectly, refreshing and quenching any thirst instantly. Lost to the wonders around him Carod had no idea how long he had been walking or indeed how far he had gone. He was revelling in new emotions and feelings so unlike anything he had ever known. Not because his senses were any more acute, it was just that there seemed to be so many more of them as they were no long muted. It was going to take some time to get used to all these different feelings.

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As Carod was making his way south, a group of people situated a couple of hours away were discussing the events they had seen in the midnight sky. Opinion was divided over what had transpired.

An older man was trying to calm the situation that was developing between two others. "Please, we must not argue among ourselves, there is one thing that we all agree on, whatever we witnessed was an extraordinary event. Let us not get distracted from that fact."

The man had spoken with some authority and as the group elder he was held in high regard by all those there, after he had spoken the two that had nearly come to blows instantly stopped, they had more reason than most to listen to what he had to say.

"Sorry Father,"

"Yes sorry Father, as usual you are right."

"Thank you," came their Fathers reply, he gestured towards the rest of the group and said. "We must decide what we saw and what it means. Our ancestors have worshipped the seasons and the sky from this very spot for many generations. Whilst the first great light was seen many years ago and that information passed down the years, the second light was unlike anything our ancestors told us about. What does it herald is the real question. Let us go through what we saw."

Turning towards his taller son he carried on, "Alfred, you may speak first as you were the nearest."

Alfred frowned for a moment as if recalling in his own mind what he had seen before he spoke. "Looking out across the plain I saw the great starlight which was known by our ancestors. I was thinking that the bracken and gorse seemed to show up lighter than it had before as if it was lit by another source. At first I was unable to work out where it was coming from until I looked closer westward. A dot of light appeared near to the great starlight, I stood in wonder as it got bigger and bigger. Then a rip seemed to happen in the heavens as the light flashed larger than anything I have ever seen before. Before I could wonder any more it blinked and was gone. As it blinked a bang sounded from above, it was so loud it blocked out all other sounds for a while."

"Harod as elder, what do you think, is it an omen?" One of the others in the group asked. He was a short man by their standards.

"Yes I think it may be that, did anybody see anything more than what Alfred has told us?"

At this question the group all murmured negatives, an uneasy silence fell. No one seems quite sure what to say next as they could not really add to what Alfred had already told them.

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The shorter of the two brothers broke the silence, "Father, as my elder Alfred may be of more use here to keep watch. Why don't I go and consult the priestess over what we have seen. She holds the higher power and may know of ancient mysteries that can help us."

"A wise plan my son," Harod agreed. "We shall await your return and while you are gone we will bear witness to anything else that may happen."

"I shall try and return within the hour." Then Rhys was gone, running through the mist with the swiftness of one who knows where they are heading and what obstacles to expect.

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The remainder of the group waited in silence, each person at peace with their own thoughts when they heard somebody approaching. Expecting Rhys' return they were surprised to hear the footsteps were wading through the surrounding shallow water pool from a different direction. A stranger broke through the mist. His surprise at seeing them was matched by their own.

The man was tall, even by the villagers standards, and as they were dark haired and dark eyed he was blond with blue eyes. Astounding indeed, around here to have blond hair and blue eyes meant that you were considered to have magical powers. Even his robes seemed to radiate in a different way, although they were woollen the weave was so much finer than anything they had ever seen.

The stranger stopped short, placed his hand to his side as if to check for something and then spoke, his words were calm and clear, not a local dialect but certainly understood. "I greet your group in peace and extend a hand of friendship."

A moment of natural tension passed through the group of men. Suspicion was to be expected. Strangers wandering around the plain were not a common sight. Invaders had left these isles alone for many years, but nobody from the older members of the group easily forgot the fierce battles that had raged in the past.

"If you come in peace then I say this to you" Harod as elder took it upon himself to greet this man. "Do what thou wilt, but harm none and we will do the same."

"For your trust I thank you, I am the one called Carod and as a stranger in these lands I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I wish to ask though, as one who has been on the road for some time please could you tell me the day?"

"That we can," said Harod. "Today is one of our most important days, September 21st, the autumn equinox. It is the day that follows a night which is special in these parts, last night more than most."

Now sure that these were the people he was meant to find Carod decided to ask. "A great light was in the sky last night. It is that of which you speak?"

"Indeed, and this is something my people will reflect on a bit later, but first may I ask how you come to be here, you must be far from home?"

"That I am," the pang Carod felt when he spoke of home was strong.

"Then please can you tell us your story?" A new voice came from behind the group, soft and silky sounding, a woman of confidence had spoken.

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Startled the group of men turned, Harod bowed his head in reverence. "My priestess, I am sorry we did not hear you arrive, indeed we did not expect you to come."

"This event is important enough for me to come and see the spot for myself, and now the stranger is here I am even gladder I made the journey." She held her head slightly to one side as if in thought when she spoke, "I know not how, but I feel this man requires our aid in some small way."

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Carod had to mentally shake himself to respond, he was transfixed by this woman's beauty, she was tall, slim and never before had he seen such eyes. So dark and luminous they glowed and radiated, and he felt as though he was being pulled into their depths. He had fallen instantly and hopelessly in love.

"My lady, I indeed beg for your aid, all I ask is a safe place to hide some scrolls." For some unknown reason Carod felt he could tell this woman anything. "I am entrusted with these scrolls so that the future of mankind may be saved."

As if Carod had spoken the most natural thing in the world rather than about avoiding mankind's doom the priestess just said. "Then aid you we shall, the henge that is being built here to celebrate the seasons and skies can be used, the scrolls will be buried,"

Looking around at the rest of the men present the priestesses voice was firm when she carried on "This secret will pass no further than the men here, only your kin can be told of what has transpired so the knowledge to be able to protect this site is not forgotten." Turning back to Carod she asked. "Do you have a second name Carod?"

"No my lady I do not"

"From the mists and water pools you came to us, so I decree from now on you shall be known as Carod the Wader."

"I give you thanks my lady, and what may I call you?"

"If you will stay in our village I would hope that you would call me Anharad, and maybe, in time, your wife."

Carod smiled and knew that all was right with the world.

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	3. Chapter 3

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Three.

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"One of your ancestors was what?" Trish was incredulous at the suggestion.

"I'm telling you, the story handed down by the family is that we are descended from a Pagan high priestess that lived the year nineteen hundred and frozen to death. It was that story which got me interested in finding out more about genealogy and history."

Nikki was amused at her friend's reaction, she hadn't told many people this story or how it had got her interested in history in the first place. Trish paused from chopping up the onion she was going to use to start making the lasagne they would be eating that tonight.

She held Nikki's eyes with her own, striking blue against the dark brown almost black, "Please tell me it's not the first of April!"

Amusement shone from Nikkis's face, smiling she said, "No, honestly, it's not a joke and some of my family reckon I must be very much like her."

Trish started to chop the onion again before asking, "Why on earth would they think that?"

"Well, you remember the small house my family owned when I was a child, the one with its own water supply that came from the artesian spring behind the property, the old Shepard used to rent it from us."

"Yes," suspicion reigned in Trish's voice. She was still expecting this to be a wind up of some sort.

"I don't think I've ever told you how we found that well, we dowsed for it and I picked it up, or so the expert said who was with us said."

"OH come ON, now I know you are having me on, dowsing for water in this day and age, you a water-diviner, hazel twigs and bent metal coat hangers. Please!"

" You would be surprised Trish, they still use the method a lot in places like Sri Lanka, in fact the guy that came to look on our property was from there."

Trish stopped what she was doing again to scrutinize Nikki's face. She had to concede her friend seemed genuine in what she was telling her. "You'd better be telling me the truth. I can check those sorts of details online you know."

Nikki couldn't suppress a snort of laughter. "You can never take the scientist out of you Trish, but it's all true and it's because of that story I ended up working in the county archives. You know me and my love for old books and manuscripts."

"Well that much is factual at least."

Getting up from where she was sitting at the scrubbed pine table in the kitchen, Nikki went across to the side where Trish was working, as she pinched a piece of carrot out of the saucepan that was ready to go on the stove she ruffled the shorter woman's blond hair.

"Hey, cut that out, not fair, I can't retaliate while I'm chopping onions. And you know I'm so much shorter than you, which makes reaching up to you and that dammed short mop you call a haircut impossible. Plus if you keep nicking all the carrots there will be none left for dinner."

Nikki threw her head back and laughed, a deep rich sound, filled with genuine pleasure. "Surely you know that's what friends are for, if I can't pester you, then who can I annoy?"

"Yeah, yeah, and anyway," Trish pointed the knife that she was using directly at Nikki, waving it about as she spoke. "How come after all these years as your friend and colleague you have failed to tell me this story before, I shall pretend to be gravely hurt by this omission in your life's history for a long time you know, don't think you're getting away with this lightly."

Just as she finished talking the doorbell rang,

"Ah, saved by the proverbial bell, as you said you're a bit tied up with onions and things so do you want me to answer that for you? It's probably Sean."

"Yes please, if you wouldn't mind but don't think that for one moment just because the doorbells gone I'll forget about giving you the third degree over your high priestess."

"I'll hold you to that." Nikki called over her shoulder as she made her way through the porch to open the door. She turned her head back to greet the tallish man with brown floppy hair who stood on the doorstep.

"Hey, it's Sean alright." Nikki feigned surprised at seeing him there, much to his amusement. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he lent forward to kiss Nikki on the cheek. "And how's my favourite archivist?"

"Very happy thank you, looking forward to having a nice dinner and drinks with my friends."

While Nikki closed the door, Sean took off his coat, hung it up in the porch on the old coat rack that Trish treasured, and then replied. "Yep, the three of us should really try and get together more often."

Reaching over Sean gave Nikki a hug before draping one hand around her waist and holding out the bottle of wine he had in the other hand. "Come on then, lets go and do some damage to this, it's a rather nice Cabernet Sauvignon, I happen to know its one of your favourites."

Taking the bottle off him Nikki replied. "Why thank you kind sir, I am sure we can find a home for this."

Walking back towards the kitchen they heard Trish called her hello to Sean before turning her attention back to the meal. Nikki set the wine bottle on the kitchen sideboard before she set about hunting through the drawers in a bid to find a corkscrew.

"It's a good job we're such good friends," Trish muttered. "People can take offence when others start rummaging about in their drawers without so much as a by your leave. Oh and I don't want any wise cracks off either of you about how you would love to rummage in my drawers any time. I know what you two are like."

Sean laughed as he countered his friend. "Well in that case I shall just join Nikki in ransacking your kitchen."

He crossed over to the cupboard where Trish kept her crockery. Opening it he retrieved three glasses before sitting down at the table. Nikki, in the meantime, had found the corkscrew and sat down next to him before uncorking the bottle of wine.

"Watch out," Nikki said. "Trish will have the police onto us for breaking and entering."

"Too bloody right I will," Trish replied with feeling, not bothering to turn around from her cooking.

The sound of three people laughing, who were totally at ease with each others company rang out, echoing throughout the house.

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A couple of hours later the well cooked dinner had been eaten and appreciated, the bottle of red wine that Sean had brought with him had been drunk and another one opened. They had all helped with the washing up, which, as a result had soon been done.

Now the three of them had retired into the smaller but cosier of the two reception rooms, rich terracotta and oranges were the colours on the walls, all warm and soothing. Deep luxurious rugs were scattered liberally across the wooden floor, while a few lovely pictures hung on the walls, they included one of a farmhouse which had been Trish's childhood home.

It was a picture her Uncle had done and was a simple red ink drawing but it captured the essence of the place so well. There was also a beautiful drawing of Trish's old cat which Nikki was always drawn towards. Trish and Nikki sat on opposite ends of a large leather sofa. Both had drawn their feet up underneath them, snuggled up in the overstuffed cushions.

Sean meanwhile sat in his favourite chair; it was leather, circular in shape with completely solid, padded back and round-stuffed arms. Certainly not a chair that suited everybody because it wasn't modern or trendy, but Sean had always found it extremely comfortable. Trish had kept the chair after her Father had died, it had been his favourite so for sentimental reasons she had not wanted to get rid of it and had therefore been thrilled when Sean had fallen in love with it. At least it was getting the use she felt it deserved.

Three glasses of wine and the newly opened bottle sat on the square wooden coffee table which was in the middle of the room. A log fire was burning in the reproduction Victorian wood burner that sat in the fireplace. Trish hated being reliant on too much modern technology and so had gone for the stove that would also heat the water and run radiators as well.

The warmth generated was made even more enjoyable because of the wind and the rain that was now splattering against the windows, at that moment Nikki felt as if the world couldn't get in and harm anybody. They all looked content and comfortable as the music from the classical music which was playing in the background washed over them.

Trish was the first to break the silence as she picked up her glass. "So, how's your new boss Sean, name of Helen Stewart isn't it, from Scotland I heard?"

"Yes that's right, she came from Aberdeen University and is certainly qualified in her field, and I would say that we are very lucky to have her here, she's certainly proving very knowledgeable when it comes to our latest project."

"Ah yes," Nikki joined in. "I've been involved in that, albeit very briefly, the project manager wanted to know if we had any information in the archives which may have been of some use." She paused to pick up her wine and take a sip. "I had a good look through, to be honest I was quite surprised on the amount we had got hidden away but when it came down to details it was pretty much the same sort of thing rehashed, and it was all facts that they knew about anyway so it didn't prove helpful on this occasion. Mind you, I am sure that there must be other references somewhere. After all, we are always finding new documents and books in collections and some of those can be in the oddest of places, look at that manuscript they found in that School library last year, I mean, it's not where you would expect to find ancient parchments."

"Hmm," Trish thoughtfully tapped the rim of her wine glass against her chin. "I would certainly agree with you on that, things do turn up in odd places. Only last week I had a chap call into the department. He had been using a metal detector on his farm to locate some metal that had been dropped in some thick mud."

Both Sean and Nikki looked at Trish in amazement.

"Well I know that your job as assistant curator at the local museum can be pretty tedious sometimes with odd days of excitement, but that sounds like one of the weirdest yet." Sean sounded as though he thought the April fools joke was being played on him. He ticked off the points with his hand. "A farmer, metal lost in mud and a metal detector, it sounds like something out of a comedy sketch show off the TV … Why on earth would he want to find bits of metal?"

Trish laughed, "Well it does turn out that the metal had been a small, but a very important and very expensive part off the tractor."

"Oh, OK, expensive piece off tractor, anybody know the words to I've got a brand new combine harvester?" Sean interrupted.

Giving him a mock glare at the disruption Trish carried on. "AS I was saying…" Another mock glare was sent Sean's way before she continued. "He found the piece off the tractor quite quickly and because the friend who had lent him the metal detector was away until that evening he decided he would have a play with his new toy as you men tend to do."

Neither Sean nor Nikki could quite stop themselves laughing at Trish's description. Trish carried on as if she hadn't heard anything and that made Nikki feel even more like the giggling school kid in class.

"He'd often been puzzled about a big patch of stones, oblong in shape, about 30 foot long by 20 wide, the stones were set just above a field which seemed different to the others in the same area. Grass this field produced was always top quality but in fact it shouldn't have been because it was set in an area of poor boggy marshland. The farmer wondered if there had been some sort of occupation on the site in the past. It seems he may have been right. He found several gold pieces including a beautiful bracelet, those are the pieces he brought into the museum and I have now started the legal process to decide whether they come under the treasure law. I've no doubt the farmer will be allowed to keep the pieces in due time and I expect that they will make him a fairly rich man."

Sean whistled under his breath on hearing the end to the story. "So that's the dig old bodybag is involved in. Right up her street. The thought of fame, glory and riches seems to be the only thing that ever makes that old hag come alive, no wonder she volunteered if treasure is involved."

Trish stood up to put some more logs on the fire, on her way back she picked up her wine from the side table where she'd put it safe and handed Sean his as well, Nikki still had hold of her glass from earlier.

"She hasn't changed then?" Nikki asked.

"No way, especially now she's started going out with that jobs worth copper Fenner."

"Wasn't he the prat you had to deal with last year after that poor woman panicked when she found those human remains in her garden? She'd started to dig a new fish pond if memory serves me correctly?"

"Yep, that's the one, oh thanks Trish," he said as she picked up the bottle of wine and topped everybody's glasses up. "The woman thought she had found a murder victim or something buried in her garden, phoned the police and as bad luck had it Fenner is the one that gets sent down to investigate it all. He managed to be his normal obnoxious self, upsetting both her and the half the dig team who were sent to investigate from our point of view. By the time I got down there a full scale riot was about to break out. Anyway, in the end it turned out to be a body from an unknown medieval cemetery. I think it may have been at that dig that he and Bodybag met. The way he was posturing would have appealed to her and the way she was fawning over him would have been the quickest way to massage his ego."

"That man always did give me the creeps," Nikki gave an involuntary shudder.

"Well, at least if Bodybag is tied up with that farmers dig she can't interfere with what you are doing at the moment," added Trish. "Although what you will be attempting is unlike anything ever done before I doubt its ever going to be big headline news, certainly not in the same way that gold treasure tends to be anyway. A lot of those headlines will be the same old story. If the farmer can and does decide to sell the items, I can see them now, lack of resources force the sale of national treasure to a foreign buyer."

"It's the same with so many of our old books and manuscripts" Nikki agreed with a sigh. "The American market in particular can afford to outbid us every time a private collection comes up for sale, the Americans really go mad for the sales that come from a stately home. Even more so if they think that their ancestors from the Mayflower have links to that particular stately home. Ok I admit there have been times when we have been sold books at a reduced market rate, or even been donated them, but it only tends to happen if the owner decides that they want a particular collection to stay together or if they want to make sure the collection stays in Britain, sometimes its for both reasons."

"I'm glad you said that Nikki," Trish said, "The talk of old books and your job has reminded me that you were telling me how you got interesting in such things, its about time you finished that tale off. I'm sure Sean will be interested in hearing the whole story as well."

"OK" Nikki grinned as she got up, "But first I need to take a break, that wine has caught up with my bladder."

"Jeez, thanks for sharing that one with us," Sean laughed. "Way too much information there for my liking, now I am going to be plagued with visions of your bladder playing games with that red wine, I shall have to think about demanding damages you know."

"That's nothing," Nikki replied as she left the room. "Get Trish to fill you in on the little she knows while I am gone"

With a quizzical look on his face Sean turned to Trish. Trish, in turn, just raised her eyebrows at him.

Laughing Trish gave way first, "Ok, I'll tell you all I know, but it's not much honestly."

"Well, if it's a typical Nikki Wade story is got to be worth having a listen. I think a refill of glasses is in order before she comes back and gives us all the gory details." Picking up the wine bottle he motioned towards Trish's glass. "A top up?"

"Yes please, and I expect Nikki will want a refill as well."

"What the hell, in for a penny, in for a pound, as they say." Sean leant forward over the table to fill Nikki's glass before filling his own. Then Trish began to tell him the little bit of the story she knew.

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A few miles away a woman was sitting on her sofa, but there were differences to what was happening in Trish's house. This woman was alone except for the vodka bottle at her side, the lights were turned down low and as she cried the low light levels distorted her features. She was an attractive woman, in her mid thirties, and had a pretty face which had a wide mouth and green eyes. Her mousy coloured hair was shoulder length, which at the moment was not tied back. Sean would have been shocked to see her. The Helen Stewart at home was not the Helen Stewart he knew at work. Just as she was wondering how much more vodka she would be able to drink so she could get comfortably numb without it affecting her the next day the phone rang on the table next to where she was sitting.

Jumping at the sound, Helen wiped her eyes with the back of one hand as she snatched to phone from the receiver with the other.

"Thomas, is that you?" Her gentle Scottish accent sounded thick from the tears she had been crying.

Her anticipation was dashed when she heard her Fathers voice on the other end of the line, "No Helen, it's me."

"Hi Dad," Helen numbly replied, hoping she didn't sound too drunk, knowing how disapproving her Father was of drink.

"Look I don't want to preach, but why don't you come back home?"

"Dad, I know that's where you think I should be, but Thomas has made his feelings quite clear. He doesn't want me. I still think a complete break away from the whole situation is the best solution." A slight pause... "For everybody."

"Then why are you hoping he'll call you?" Her Father sounded as though he was losing his patience. "Listen at the way you answered the phone just now, that's no way to be going on."

Helen mentally flinched at those words, knowing they were true but not wanting to admit to anything. "Sorry Dad, I can't cope with this right now, if there's nothing else?" She left the question hanging in the air, hopeful her Father would take the hint that she didn't want to talk about it.

With a resigned sigh he said. "No, that's all but you know where I am."

"Aye, ok then. Thanks for phoning. Bye Dad." Was all Helen could manage in reply.

"Bye." Was the equally short response, before she heard the phone being put down at the other end of the line.

Helen put her own phone back on its receiver and thought back on what had happened to her the last couple of months. Had it only been two months? It seemed so much longer somehow. Two months ago she was happy in a relationship with Thomas, living up in Scotland, the perfect idyll or so she had thought, but the relationship had got stale somehow. Her life seemingly lacked something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It seemed nothing major so she had ignored it.

She had believed that she and Thomas would eventually get married but Thomas had got more and more distant from her until, in the end, he had told her he couldn't carry on with the relationship. Even now Helen found that such a strange word to use, couldn't rather than wouldn't. When she challenged him about it all he had just said that she needed to "find herself" whatever that meant.

The shock at what he had done was immense. There was nobody else involved on his side, and he was genuine when he had said that. Thomas had then gone on to say, for some reason, he believed that she was missing something in her life and she would never be truly happy until she found out what that was. Yet, because of his kindness it had somehow made the whole thing worse, she had no other "woman" or real reason to blame. At least that would have given her something to focus her anger at and he had even denied her that because it had just come down to him.

So, Helen had seen the job in Wiltshire and decided to leave. The trouble was, once she had moved she found she was consumed by an aching, lonely emptiness that she couldn't show too the world. It was so encompassing at times Helen often wondered how she could possibly function, and yet somehow she managed it with out giving anything away.

To the world at large she had this great academic career. Helen had managed to buy a nice little Victorian terraced house in a good part of the city. And yet, somehow the nagging thought that Thomas was right kept coming back to haunt her, and so, her evenings were spent alone, looking at the vodka bottle wondering how much she dare drink.

Helen's work colleagues had asked her out for drinks and meals, but she couldn't face it and would say no, often using the excuse that there was still a lot to do to get the house in order even though re-decorating was all she had to do. Vaguely Helen wondered how long she could drag that excuse out. Hopefully a few more months before anybody started to question the terrible state of the property she had bought.

Thinking about her Father Helen knew how much she had disappointed him. He had always had very strict ideas about what his daughter should be doing with her life, he had wanted her to leave school, meet a nice man who had a respectable job, get married have the two point four children and then be the wife who stayed at home doing the endless rounds of the Women's Institute, Parents and Teachers Association and all the after school clubs, Not to mention the Church Fetes on Sundays. A neat little world and one Helen found horrifying.

Reaching the age at which she could legally make her own decisions, Helen's rebellious streak had kicked in and as soon as she could, Helen had made her own way in the world. First going to University where she had graduated with honours, then a prime job at Aberdeen where she had met Thomas. At least that had gone some way to placating her Father as it meant she had not moved too far away and was with a respectable man. But she had disappointed him further by upping sticks and moving to Wiltshire. That had been as bad as moving to a foreign country as far as her father was concerned. Despite her reasons for moving it had turned out to be her dream job. Something she'd been able to throw herself into body and soul during the daylight hours. Only at night did the thoughts of her old life with Thomas haunt the pretty Scottish woman.

Pulling her reflections back to the present day Helen started to think about the morning and the day that was ahead of her and the small team she ran. The person she had dealt with most since she had arrived was a guy called Sean. He seemed nice and had been rattling on this afternoon about the friends he was going to visit after he had finished work. From what Helen could make out there were three friends who tried go to each others houses on a rotating system every couple of weeks. Whoever was hosting that evening would cook a dinner and they would drink some wine and catch up on what the others were doing. It had sounded nice and had made the lonely pangs she often felt more acute this evening.

With a start Helen realized that she had no real close friends. Sure there had been a close circle of acquaintances when she and Thomas had been together, but she realized no real friends. At least she had work and tomorrow was going to be one of her biggest days yet.

Helen reviewed the action pan in her head. As much as possible had been done on the groundwork. The project manager had been efficient in contacting and dealing with the various local archive departments and museums. Nothing of any merit had surfaced but there again they hadn't really expected anything new to be found.

There had been one brief moment of excitement when the local Roman museum had queried the age of a robe stored there that had been found near the site, they were not sure how accurate the carbon dating that had been done on the robe was. But it had been soon decided that the carbon date must be inaccurate, no one could see how a robe of such fine woollen material could have been made before the Roman period. The dates given had suggested that this could be a much earlier artefact but there was always a huge margin for error.

It was going to be an early start in the morning with the logistics involved. The local police had been contacted and were providing support and security. Sean had already warned Helen about one of the policemen that may be involved, it seemed he would try and take over given half the chance. She seemed to recall that his name was Fenner. Helen regretted the need to involve the police quite so much but given what they planned to do there was almost certainly going to be some protesters about. The last thing she would want to be doing was dealing with any sort of interference from them.

Helen also knew there was going to be minimal media coverage, probably the sort of thing that would take up five minutes on the local night-time news desk, and half of that time would be taken up with the protestors. While dealing with the media was part of her job, Helen was glad that there would not be a big presence. Helen much preferred being involved in the running of the site, especially as the way they were going to work was such a new idea and was so radical in its approach. It could yield a huge amount of information or it could be the biggest flop ever seen in local archaeological history.

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Nikki had just completed telling the rest of her families' story to Sean and Trish. By the time she had finished, the second bottle of wine had been drunk and they had considered opening a third but as they had all got work in the morning they had decided against that.

"Well" said Sean as a slight burp escaped his lips. "I feel as if enough wine has been drunk by myself and I feel comfortably sated. I have also heard an intriguing Wade family story as only she can tell and I would love to stay longer, but I have got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow, time to go home I think. Thanks for wonderful evening you two. Trish, the meal, as always, was lovely. Don't forget you're round at mine on Saturday to return the favour."

When Trish went to get up he motioned to her to stay where she was, "No don't bother getting up I can see myself out thanks." Standing up out of the chair, he lent over and kissed Nikki on the cheek before going to Trish to do the same. "Goodnight you two wonderful woman, if I don't see you before, I'll see you Saturday."

"Goodnight Sean." Nikki said

"Goodnight, I look forward to the return trip." Trish added.

While Sean made his way out Trish looked across to Nikki and asked. "Do you want me to make up the spare bed? Sean only has to go down the road but you don't really want to be out for long in this horrid weather."

"If you are sure you don't mind? It is still blowing a gale out there." Just then they heard the front door closing.

"No trouble at all." Trish got up and went to deal with the spare bed. Nikki sat looking into the fire reflecting on what a lovely evening it had been.

Little did the four of them know how things would change for them all over the next few days.

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	4. Chapter 4

© 2005 revised 2011

Chapter Four.

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The following day dawned and was clear, bright and cool, the wind and rain from the night before a distant memory. It was typical weather for the early part of September. Stonehenge rose out of the mist like some grey monster, an imposing sight.

Despite the earliness of the hour quite a few people now mingled on the surrounding landscape. Mostly protesters who had camped in vans ready to wave placards and sing their songs of peaceful protest over what they saw as the desecration of a mystical site. There had been a couple of police on duty overnight just to make sure that no-body camping had tried to sneak into the main control areas or the inner circle of the henge itself. They had found the night peaceful. All had been quiet, just the early sounds of the birds rising with the dawn, and the odd car passing on the roads nearby. That peace would be broken shortly with the arrival of the archaeologists and their equipment.

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At five am Helens alarm clock had sounded, reaching over she had turned it off before switching on the bedside light. Helen groaned inwardly at the dull ache between her eyes. It seemed as though she wasn't going to get away without a slight hangover after all. She hoped that a mug of coffee and a couple of paracetamol would cure her aches. At least she didn't feel sick, and before long she had prised herself out of bed and was waking up fully under the shower.

Helen chose sensible clothes, knowing that despite the time of year the weather could turn cool, wet or both at anytime or even be blazing with sunshine. Dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans, navy polo shirt and sweatshirt with woollen socks and her Dr Martin safety boots, Helen also decided to wear a baseball cap, it was good to keep off the suns glare or if needed, the rain. Reaching over to her small backpack Helen checked her hard hat and reflective safety vest were inside.

Breakfast consisted of a piece of toast with her coffee. Knowing it could be a long morning, Helen didn't really feel up to eating at that time of the day but had done too many early starts in the past to ignore being sensible. Looking at her watch she realized she had timed it well, by the time she got outside the minibus that they were using to transport everything should be waiting at the end of her street ready to collect her. There were only half a dozen people going to the site today, as they weren't expecting to be able to do very much. It should be mostly setting up and dealing with the people bringing special equipment.

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Going through the house one final time Helen sure all the windows and doors were secured properly before she went out through the front door. Locking the front lock Helen heard the sound of a vehicle in the distance behind her, looking round she saw the minibus pull up at the junction which was only a twenty yards or so from her house.

Sean was driving and the front passenger seat had been left clear for her. Typical of the sort of minibus so often used by council services the seats looked stained from so much outdoor use but the rest was clean and tidy. And for once they seem to have been given a bus which had working heating which was welcome in the autumn chill.

Getting in Helen glanced behind her and nodded her greeting to the four young archaeological students who had volunteered to do the donkeywork for today. They all looked nervous, no doubt their first major outing, she remembered how that felt. She then looked across to Sean.

He grinned at her before speaking. "Morning Helen, I hope that you are ready for this?"

"Morning. Ready as I'll ever be."

Putting the bus into gear Sean started the short drive from the city that would take them to Stonehenge. "I hope you don't mind only I phoned the contractors just before we left. They both say they are on time and should arrive shortly after us."

Glad Sean had dealt with that already Helen just said. "Nope, that's fine. It saves me a job when we get there."

"That's what I thought." Sean paused as if thinking about something before he carried on. "I hope that this works, you must be really excited about being able to work on this unhindered for a change. Especially when you consider that you specialize in henges."

As he had been speaking Helen had been looking out of the passenger window and when she replied it seemed to Sean that her mind was half on something else. "Its certainly a unique opportunity to look into how these things were built, just to get the chance to try this new Geo Physics machine out is something."

Deciding that whatever else was on her mind was none of his business Sean made a point not to push the conversation further, in turn Helen was grateful for the quiet journey. The loneliness she had felt last night was still in the back of her mind. Helen hoped a good day out in the field rather than stuck behind a desk would bring a welcome change to the way she felt.

Before long they approached Stonehenge and Helen felt the little frisson of excitement that seeing this wonderful monument always gave her. Part of her had to admit that Sean was right. She was looking forward to being able to work unhindered by the normal rules and regulations that governed this site.

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In anticipation of the day Helen muttered a few comforting words to herself. 'May the day be kind.'

Although Helen had got out of the habit of going to church on a regular basis, a woman she had known many years before had often said those words. Helen had liked it so much she often reverted to using it if there was a big day or if there were stressful moments ahead. And now it seemed more appropriate than ever as the stones rose in the early autumn sunshine, reflecting the suns rays from the grey surface that seemed to radiate an almost tangible powerful force that Helen felt she could almost touch.

Sean parked the minibus in the field about a hundred yards away from the henge. Another minibus had already arrived with extra police to join the two that had been here overnight so they could set up a cordon, which hopefully should mean they were going to be able to work unhindered from the protestors. Helen got out and turned to open the side slide door on the minibus so the students could get out and stretch their legs.

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Several yards from where they had parked stood a porta-cabin which Helen knew housed the office and coffee and tea making facilities for both themselves and the police on the site. A generator engine was rumbling in the background to power the electricity needed inside the cabin.

Sean came around the bus to join her. Looking at his watch he said. "Just gone six forty five, the others should be here soon."

"As soon as the Geo Phys get here please can you get them started," Helen used the shortened form of Geo Physics that people often lapsed into. "I think start at the Altar and work their way out. Keep the searches short so we can get information quickly and let's hope this new improved system doesn't prove to be a waste of time."

"Ok, no problem."

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Just then the two archaeologists saw the lorry with the JCB on board turn into the field.

Looking towards it Helen said. "Unless we're very lucky I'll don't think we'll get to use that today."

"No," Sean agreed. "But Murphy's Law states that if we didn't have it here you'd guarantee we'd need it."

Without any trace of humour Helen murmured, "I wish I knew who Murphy was, I could quite gladly kill him."

Sean couldn't quite work out if what his boss had said was meant as a joke or not, so he decided to keep quiet.

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While the lorry parked a bit further up on the grassy plain, another council minibus and Land Rover Defender turned into the field.

"Ah," muttered Sean. "That looks as though it could be our surveyors and the Geo Phys lot."

Sure enough both vehicles parked up next to theirs before the occupants got out. The first to introduce herself was the woman who got out of the Land Rover. Sean had met Di briefly at a conference, and they spoke for a moment to catch up. It turned out Di had recently been promoted and was now head of the Geo Physics team.

The remaining members of Di's team had arrived in the minibus and after consulting with Sean about what was required of them had started to unload the equipment from the Land Rover.

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Two other men also got out of the minibus, a taller man with dark hair had made his way over to greet Helen. "Hello there, nice to see you again, I see the JCB lot have arrived."

"Hello Dominic," Helen shook his hand. "Yes, I doubt we'll need them today but you never know," turning she said. "Have you met Sean at all? He's second in command from our point of view."

"No, I don't believe we've met, I'm new to the surveys department so it's the first time I've been involved with the positioning of the Geo Phys." He turned to extend his greeting towards Sean who responded likewise.

Looking around Dominic asked. "Have you seen anything of the media yet?"

Scowling slightly Helen responded. "Nothing yet and to be honest, I for one would be quite happy if they managed to forget about us for today, I won't really be able to tell them much. What they can see is pretty much what they are going to get."

"True," Dominic shrugged. "Well, I'll leave you to the hungry jaws of the press and go and see about positioning the JCB just in case it is needed today. I'll see you both a bit later no doubt."

"Yeah, and I guess it's time for us to go and see how the Di and her team are getting on."

Walking over to where the Geo Physics were setting up with Sean. Helen couldn't help but wonder how long the day would last.

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To the minute, one hour later the first results were coming through, the new Geo Physics system proving to be much quicker than the old one. Helen was just getting her first look at the results when as if by magic the media decided to arrive with a sense of perfect timing that disrupted her viewing.

As Helen suspected, it only turned out to be a very small crew from the local T.V news and a single journalist from the local paper. Mentally making a note to keep smiling, Helen went to introduce herself.

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Approaching the small group Helen saw one of the men break away. He was fairly tall with light brown short hair dressed in a navy suit. Helen couldn't help but think how young he looked, she thought that maybe he was fairly new to the job and so got sent on the less interesting stories.

Reaching her quickly the man introduced himself as Mark and outlined what he would like to do, starting with asking a few questions about what they were doing today, how long they thought it would take. The usual basic things Helen had been through countless times in interviews. After about ten minutes of small talk, most of which Helen couldn't recall, the TV crew said that they were ready to try for a take.

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Still reminding herself to keep smiling Helen stood where they asked her to and waited why they fussed about background shots, lighting, sound and other technical details. Soon Mark was standing just in front of her, the journalist from the paper behind him ready to note what was said. Mark was handed a microphone and said something to the soundman that she couldn't make out before he turned his attention back to her.

Helen braced herself for the first round of questions.

"Miss Stewart, as head of archaeology here at Stonehenge today, please can you give a brief description of what is happening and why?"

"Certainly," Helens response was professional and measured. "As you know there are radical plans to divert the A303 that runs alongside Stonehenge by creating a tunnel, we are awaiting a decision from the Secretary of State for Transport following the public inquiry that took place last year. With this in mind we have been asked to try and provide additional information regarding the impact the vibrations which drilling out the tunnel may have on Stonehenge."

Before she could carry on Mark broke in with a question. "How can archaeologists help in this matter?"

"Well, as I was going to say," Helen was a bit annoyed at what she saw was a needless interruption. "A tunnel is being looked at to reduce the road impact on the surface environment of the Plain. Our plans over the next few days are to try and make sure, by using the latest Geo Physics techniques, that there are no hidden underground holes or caverns that might collapse due to vibrations from the tunnel work."

Helen paused and the interviewer nodded his encouragement. "Any such collapse could cause the ground to become unstable around the stones. If any anomalies are found by the Geo Physics team surveyors have worked out they should be able to mimic, in a controlled way, the vibrations of the tunnel by digging a trench 2 meters deep at quarter meter intervals close to those anomalies. For this they will be using the JCB. If the Geo Physics pick up any change around any of the areas which have been pin pointed as being at risk while the JCB digs the trench then we should have an idea as to how the tunnel work should affect the henge as a whole. And if the JCB is used today then we, as archaeologists, will also be trying to prevent loss of any archaeology that may be uncovered. I estimate that we should be here for three working days."

"Well Miss Stewart, it certainly sounds like it's a radical idea, I hope it works. I can't help but wonder how you feel about the protestors though?"

'Ah,' Helen thought to herself. 'He's hoping that we might feel threatened, the old confrontational story,' out loud all she said was. "They have a right to peaceful protest which is what it has been. None of the people working here today have felt threatened in anyway."

Clearly disappointed he was not going to get anything more from that question Mark finished. "Thank you for your time and I wish you luck over the next couple of days."

After Mark ended the interview he turned to the crew and checked that everybody was happy with the take. Amazingly for a first attempt everybody involved was pleased with what they had.

Mark turned back to Helen. "Once again thank you for your time Miss Stewart, I don't think there will be anything else, if you are interested this should be shown on the local news sometime between six and six thirty PM. I hope you understand that I do need to go and talk to the protestors and get their point of view on what you are doing."

"Of course and I am glad I could be of some help." Helen was amused that he thought she would be that interested in wanting to catch the article on the news, she had no desire to see herself on the TV. Making her goodbyes as quickly as possible, Helen headed back to the porta cabin.

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Entering the cabin Helen found that Geo Phys had returned with the results from another sector and that Di was in conversation with Sean.

Looking up Di cheerfully waved at Helen to join them. "I just thought that you and Sean would be interested in this," she pointed to the printout on the table in front of her. "Right next door to the Altar, on its western side there is an area which has a small anomaly which might be worth keeping an eye on. It's not deep but the results indicate there may be a void in that area, about two feet deep."

"Ok," Helen thought about their options for a moment. "Sean, have you got that mapped out on the grid for reference?"

"Yes and I've just sent one of the students down to double check it all."

"That's great." Turning her attention back to Di she carried on. "Is there anything more?"

"Not yet, just little blips, nothing more than rabbit warrens really, although there is an area which is just on the very western edge of the survey which is showing some interesting resistance. Our problem is that the main part does seem to be outside of the agreed search pattern and so we seem to be getting a tantalizing glimpse and no more."

"Well, if it's that good and we get time we may be able to extend the area we're covering, what have you got on it so far?"

"It looks like a depth of six foot, length twelve feet, as for how far back it goes we can't be sure. We caught a foot of the width within our survey. It's not a true void but it is disturbed ground of some sort. It's a pity that we can't get a trench put in there, but I guess you can't have everything. Anyway I had better get back to the others. I'll catch up with you later."

Di picked up some of the paperwork before she headed back out of the door.

After she left Sean and Helen found themselves alone.

Sean pointed at the kettle and small fridge on the side next to the plastic cups saying, "I don't know about you but I think it's about time we had a cup of coffee," as he got up from the table to put the kettle on he asked. "Would you like one? Only instant I'm afraid but at least it isn't powered milk."

Suddenly Helen realized it had been several hours since she had left the house and so with relish answered. "Yes please, milk and no sugar, thanks."

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Sitting with cups of coffee steaming in their hands, Sean broke the silence that had descended while they sipped at the drinks. "I hope that you had a good evening last night?"

Helen just nodded unable to think of a convincing lie.

Luckily Sean took that as a yes and he carried on. "I enjoyed myself with Nikki and Trish, I think you would like them, in fact the chances are you will get to meet them while you work here as Trish works up at the main museum and Nikki is involved with the archives department. Actually Nikki was telling us last night that she was asked by the project manager to look up any documents they had stored in the archives regarding this particular site."

Although Helen wasn't really feeling up to personal talk she found herself asking "Have you known Trish and Nikki for long?"

"A while now, Trish and Nikki have known each other since school, they grew up in the same area. I met them when we all went to university. We got on very well, similar sense of humour that sort of thing, and have been best friends ever since. Originally there were four of us, but Sue was killed in a road accident about 4 years after we started university. None of us are in any kind of relationship at the moment so we are getting to see a bit more of each other, which is nice. How about you, any friends that you get to see regularly?"

"No not regularly," Helen was regretting asking the question now. "Sorry to hear about Sue."

Sean didn't seem to notice anything was wrong as he carried on talking. "Thanks, it took a while, but we've come to terms with it. Of course, thinking about it, now that you've moved so far away it will be harder to keep in touch, but good friends are always worth the effort in the end."

"Yes," Helen lied. "Yes they are." She hoped Sean would lose interest in the conversation as she found it was stirring up the negative emotions in her that she didn't want to deal with without a vodka bottle at her side.

To change the subject Helen decided to ask. "Do you think that there may be a chance we can get going on digging that test pit with the JCB today?"

"Well, you never know. If Geo Phys carry on at the speed they have been we might just get that started."

"Would that be delayed while they change the police shift over, that's at two this afternoon and the again at ten this evening isn't it?"

"That's right, I can't see that it would affect the work we are doing unless we have the misfortune to get Fenner here. Then you'll get an hour of posturing by him"

"You've gone on about Fenner before." For the first time Helen was genuinely interested, "what is it about him that you don't like?"

"Well, without wanting to end up with a slander case slapped on me the least I can say is that he is obnoxious, controlling, rude and very much a male chauvinist pig. I could add that he would be delighted to find you in charge here."

"Why?" Helen knew she sounded intrigued.

"Simply because you are a woman, and I do not jest. Fenner is stuck in the dark ages as far as his views on that sort of thing go. He won't say anything directly to your face. There's too much to lose if he ends up with a formal complaint against him. But he keeps pushing the limits with people the whole time, women more than most."

"Oh," Helens reply was cautious. "He does sound charming and gracious, I look forward to meeting him, I don't think."

They both laughed at that and for the first time since Helen had arrived in Wiltshire she felt totally relaxed and at ease in another persons company. It came as a pleasant surprise.

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After lunch they were pleased to see that Fenner wasn't amongst the police relief, then, just after two thirty Di came over with the last of the Geo Physics results. The new system had worked much quicker than anybody could have hoped for.

Apart from the two areas that they had already discussed, it looked as though there were three or four other targets, possibly indicating voids that could be monitored to check against collapse from the JCB vibrations. The archaeologists would have loved to have time to excavate the other areas but they knew that they were there for a specific reason and so stayed focused on dealing with the test pit that the JCB would be able to start digging soon.

Sean had gone to tell the police what was happening so they had up to date information, as he went and dealt with them Helen had gone across to speak with the driver of the JCB. She gave him a two way radio so they could stop and start the machine at will. Then Helen handed out the remaining radio sets to the archaeological students. One was to do a visual search on the spoil heap. The other three were to assist Helen and Sean on a visual search of the trench. The driver had assured Helen that he could skim off a layer only half an inch deep each time if she wanted, and Helen had been glad. That sort of accuracy would be critical in reducing any damage and maintaining any archaeology they may find.

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Having looked at the Geo Physics results both Helen and Sean had decided to place the digger on the eastern edge of the stones, which gave them a good distance from the target areas. The people who had first thought of this scheme in some nameless office somewhere had worked out that the distance needed to mimic the tunnel vibrations was fifty foot east of any areas that may be affected. As the digger rumbled into place the TV crew took the opportunity for a few last shots of the site to send off for the news broadcast that would be going out tonight. Even the protestors had fallen silent in expectation. The archaeologists donned their safety gear and took up the positions allocated to them.

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Radios were checked and Helen looked up at Sean who stood to her left, gave him a wry smile and said. "Here goes nothing. At least if it all goes wrong we've done everything right this end."

Sean sounded nervous when he replied. "It does seem strange to be doing something like this, guess its time to grab the bull by the horns."

Nodding at what he had said Helen gave the verbal order to the digger driver to begin while Sean gave a hand signal to the others that they were starting.

With what seemed like a massive roar the driver restarted the diggers engine and the first bucketful of earth was removed. It consisted of the grass layer which was being set to one side and kept moist so that it could be used to top the ground once the trench had been refilled after all the work was done.

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Over an hour later the first half-meter of the trench had been carefully excavated, then for safety reasons had been filled in straight away. Geo Physics were going over the target areas again to see if they could spot any changes that may be taking place.

Checking the time Helen wondered if they would get much of a chance to do anymore today.

Walking over to where Sean stood she discussed the timing with him. "I'm not sure that we will get an awful lot more done today, I think that Geo Phys will be about another half hour before the new results are ready, that's going to take us to five PM. How about once that's all finished we call it a day? The JCB driver may as well go home now."

"I think you're right, although I might ask Geo Phys if I can have a copy of the areas where they got resistance readings to study while once I get home tonight. I didn't really get chance to look at them much earlier."

"I would have thought that they would be quite happy to run a copy off for you. I'll go and tell them that we are going to call it a night once they have finished and I'll ask them for some copies at the same time."

"Thanks, I'll wrap things up this end." Sean turned and headed to where the JCB stood as Helen went across to the Geo Physics Land Rover.

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Helen wondered if they would be happy giving her a copy of their results as well. Getting the chance to look them over in her own time sounded appealing and it might just bring her relief from the loneliness if only for tonight. The autumn chill was starting to set in to the early evening air making her glad that they would be finished soon.

Di was more than happy to run off some extra copies of the results for her and Sean, in fact she was pleased that the two archaeologists had taken such an interest. Although in this day and age most archaeologists recognized the benefits that Geo Physics had in aiding them find targets for excavation. There were still very few that were prepared to embrace it totally.

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Later that evening, the first thing Helen did when she had got back home was to check her answer phone. The Scottish woman wasn't surprised that there were no messages, so she decided to have a long hot bath and then cooked herself a light meal of baked salmon with pasta and salad before sitting down wrapped up in her nice big warm fleece dressing gown. Not really wanting to drink vodka tonight a glass of red wine stood on the table next to the sofa and although it had been poured over an hour ago it remained untouched.

A log fire had been lit in the grate just to keep the chill off. Helen wondered if Sean was as puzzled as she was by some of the Geo Physics readings. The two areas she had looked at again and again were the smaller one by the Altar and the larger one, which was just outside where they had been working. Something about those two places was tugging at her brain as if it held some significance she couldn't quite put her finger on. Both seemed too regular in pattern, as if they were man made, and both seemed to be orientated east to west, almost like early Christian sites, but Helen knew that was very unlikely as the Henge had been proven to have been built at a time that was far earlier than Christianity.

Helen sighed, knowing that there was no way they would have time over the next couple of days to get test pits dug to investigate, as much as her heart wanted to. She may never again get the chance to dig at the site without the restrictions that were normally imposed. Remembering the wine she picked up the glass and as she sipped on the contents she couldn't help but be plagued with the thought that she had missed something today. Whatever it was she hoped it wouldn't prove to be important.

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	5. Chapter 5

© 2005 revised 2011

Two chapter updates in one day. You poor souls you .. :o)

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Chapter Five.

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With a start Sean realized that the noise he could hear was the phone ringing by the side of his bed, he grunted, thinking that whoever it was, they had better have a good reason for disturbing his sleep. Answering, his brain noted that the alarm clock was only reading three in the morning. He groaned aloud before he said. "Sean here, this had better be good!"

"Sean, it's Helen," she sounded equally tired. "Sorry to disturb you only I've been contacted by the police on site, they need us to go down there."

Forcing himself to sit up Sean asked. "Did they say why?"

"No," the reply was muted somewhat as if Helen was moving about. "I've just had my first run in with Fenner. I see what you mean about him, he had the nerve to say to me," Helens voice changed to mimic the condescending tone Fenner often used. "I'm afraid it's too important to risk talking over the phone love. Oh and you had better bring that underling Sean with you." Reverting back to her own voice she carried on. "The cheeky git, does he think he's in some bad cop show or something, he then had the bloody nerve to put the phone down on me. He'd better not try that too often."

Sean could imagine those green eyes of Helen's sparkling in anger as she was talking, but he couldn't help yawning before he answered. "Damn, I'm sorry about that Helen, but I guess as your underling I had better get dressed and meet you. Tell you what, how about if I pick you up in my car, I've got to drive past your street anyway and it will give Fenner something to think about if we turn up together."

Helen laughed lightly at that. "If you don't mind Sean, I'll see you in what, about twenty minutes?"

"Yep that will be fine. It's a light blue Renault." He waited as Helen confirmed the information. "OK I'll see you soon. Bye."

"Thanks, that's great, bye."

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Sure enough twenty minutes later Sean was parked outside her house as promised. Helen had made time to drag her coffee maker into service and handed Sean a travel mug with the steaming beverage inside. "Here, I seem to remember your poison is a latte"

Sean groaned in pleasure as he took a large mouthful before placing the mug into a holder. "How did you manage that bit of magic at this time of day?"

"Simple," Helen couldn't quite keep the smirk off her face. "My guilty secret is a good espresso machine."

Helen couldn't help the laugh that escaped when Sean just moaned. "Oh God, I love your coffee machine."

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At least driving at this time of day meant that the roads were clear of traffic and before long they were turning off the main road and onto the field they had left only nine hours before. Sean once again parked next to the porta-cabin. The area was now floodlit with security lights.

"I hope that ruddy kettles working," Sean said with feeling. "I'm not going anywhere without another cup of coffee inside me, no matter how disgusting that instant stuff may taste after your gourmet delight."

"I'm with you on that one." Helen nodded at the their empty mugs.

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Getting out of the car they picked up some torches from the back seat and headed to get a refill. A police officer emerged from the inner circle of the Henge and came to join them. By the time he had reached them and introduced himself as John, both Helen and Sean felt fortified with caffeine, taking a few minutes to drink the coffee before they started.

John asked them to follow him back to the inner circle. Curious as to what it was that warranted them being dragged out of bed at three in the morning, they could not have imagined what would greet them.

Fenner was stood next to the Altar. Helen thought he was aged about 45, quite tall with dark wavy hair going grey. The policeman had a powerful torch in his hand and it was shining on a hole in the ground on to the Altars western side. Taking a moment to orientate herself, Helen was convinced Fenner stood next to the area that the Geo Physics had indicated there would be a void. It was one of the places that Helen had been unable to get from her mind all of yesterday evening and the archaeologist felt her nape hairs rise from some kind of reaction. The digging must have caused some sort of delayed effect. There certainly had been no hint of this before they had left the site.

Processing those thoughts in an instant Helen found her irrational anger at Fenner took over. "What the blazes!" But as soon as she had spoken the archaeologist in her overrode her initial reaction and her exclamation was quickly followed by. "That looks far too regular to be a natural feature."

Just then Fenner strolled over to them. "Too right on that one doll," he leered. "There was a stone top, now broken. I've looked around and removed the stuff from there." He flicked his head back towards the Altar, "I've put it all on that stone thing for you, and it's all a load of rubbish if you ask me."

"You did what?" Helen exploded. "Have you any idea how much damage you may have done to an important find? For God's sake!"

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Fenner walked behind her, leaning close to her right ear. "Couldn't take the chance love, could have been a hole dug by one of those protestors to plant, oh, I don't know, a bomb say."

He carried on walking around Helen, far to close in Sean's opinion. Helen stood there, eyes flashing with anger at the invasion by Fenner on her personal space as well as the damage he may have caused, looking him straight in the eye she said. "If I find you have contravened ANY laws over this I'll make sure your boss throws the book at you."

"Oh don't worry - Love," Fenner sounded like he was almost purring. "All done correctly by my book, of course now that you are here I expect you'll do it your way. I'll leave you to it then, like I said the stuffs on the Altar."

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Fenner walked off back towards the Porta-cabin. Helen and Sean thought they heard him laughing.

The officer that had fetched them was still there holding a big portable torch, looking sheepish he said. "Sorry about that, look, erm do you want me to stay?"

"Yes please," Helen was inwardly fuming, but didn't want to show it. "Your torch is a lot better than ours and so I'd like to use it to examine the finds. I just hope that idiot hasn't damaged anything." And under her breath so only Sean heard her she added. "And if he dared call me love one more time I swear I'd have swung for the smug bastard!"

Looking at Sean she said out loud, "I wonder if there is anything left, could you please check that for me? I'll see what Fenner removed."

"Right, I'll join you there in a tick." Sean went and knelt down by the hole. Shining his torch into the void he could make out that it was stone lined. A stone lid lay broken in five pieces in the bottom of the pit. It seemed dry and secure, very well made in fact. The stone that had been used in its construction was of good quality and looked as if it was the same material that the Henge had been made from. That suggested the age of the pit was as old as Stonehenge itself, or that the materials had been reused to make the pit at a later date.

Carefully lifting each of the broken pieces of lid in turn Sean checked that there weren't any other artefacts trapped underneath. Satisfied it was empty he left it. The students could record it all when they got here later. Sean felt a pang of regret at Fenners actions. They would have no way of knowing now how the artefacts he had discovered sat in situs to the void. By removing them like he had, it denied the archaeologists vital evidence.

Getting back onto his feet Sean went to join Helen over at the Altar. He was surprised to see that so far all she was doing was standing looking at the objects. A dip in the stone obscured his view, moving slightly so he could see better his amazement matched her own.

Before he could censor himself he blurted out. "Bloody Hell, now what do we do? If those are real…" He found he couldn't finish the sentence.

"I know," Helen sounded as if she were in shock. "If the date on these is as old as we suspect we can't leave them exposed to the air like this for any length of time."

She could hardly believe what she was seeing, a tightly rolled bundle of parchments, vellum scrolls, sat on the Altar. With an effort Helen forced herself to think.

"Have you got any cotton gloves on you Sean?"

"Yes, thank god my ordinary gloves are cotton and I only washed them the other day so they're clean."

"Then lets be grateful for little mercies, Fenner has done enough damage as it is, if we can get these to the archives as soon as possible they can go into a conserving atmosphere."

"The sooner the better if you ask me," Sean looked at Helen. "This is an idea to run past you, I have got some clean finds trays with lids in the car and I've got Nikki's phone number on my mobile. For speed how about if we transport the parchment in the trays to the archives, I'll phone Nikki and she can meet us there."

"Nikki," Helen sounded puzzled before she remembered where she had heard that name before. "Ah yes, one of your friends that you met the other night, sorry for being slow, you were telling me about them yesterday."

"That's right, and apart from anything I don't think she would ever forgive me if I didn't get her involved in this, her passion for this stuff is legendary."

"Well, if she loves manuscripts like that then I wouldn't blame her for wanting to be involved right from the start," Helen looked across at Sean, wonder showing on her face. "I don't work in that field but even I could admire these for hours, but we'd better get moving."

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Sean nodded before reaching inside his jacket for his gloves. After he had put them on he found his hands were shaking. Forcing him-self to concentrate on the precious cargo he gingerly picked up the bundle. Expecting the parchment to feel brittle and light he was pleasantly surprised to find they felt a normal weight and density. It seemed they may have been better preserved than he or Helen dared hope for.

The police office used his big torch to guide the three of them in the darkness. Carefully they made their way back to Sean's car. As they got there Sean said to Helen. "The keys are in my right hand coat pocket, the trays are in the boot."

Helen reached towards him, fumbled in his pocket for the keys, found them with little trouble then opened the boot of the car up and got the smallest of the trays out.

Sean gently placed the parchment inside the tray before heaving a huge sigh of relief. "I shall be glad when Nikki has got these," he said with feeling.

"I know," Helen replied. "I hate doing such a rushed and unplanned removal of an object from a site but I don't see that we have got much choice in the matter thanks to that idiot."

"Yeah, and you can guarantee he's covered his tracks so he won't get a reprimand over this," Sean said. "What he said about the protestors and bombs will probably be enough to cover his backside, mores the pity."

Helen returned the tray to the boot of his car, it was secured well between other objects for travel, and Sean reached inside his jacket, took out his mobile phone and dialled a number.

"Hi Nikki, sorry it's early but we need you down at the archives straight away."

Helen could just make out the sound of a woman's voice as she answered Sean.

She couldn't help but wonder what she was saying to him as he responded.

"Yeah I know, look, honestly trust me when I say that you really wouldn't forgive me if I hadn't phoned you, it would take to long to explain but you'll see what I mean when we get there." He paused slightly as Nikki said something. "Thanks Nikki, you won't regret this I promise you that, we'll see you there, bye for now."

Switching the phone off, he turned to Helen.

"She'll meet us there in about twenty minutes."

"Right," Helen made her way to the car's passenger seat. "Let's go then."

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Pulling up in front of the imposing medieval building that housed the local achieves, the two archaeologists saw a silver Vauxhall Astra parked outside.

"That's Nikki's car," Sean confirmed.

Parking next door to it, they got out of the Renault as Nikki got out of her car. Sean kept the introductions brief.

"Hello Nikki, this is Helen Stewart, Helen Stewart meet Nikki Wade."

Both women murmured their greetings before Nikki looked Sean dead in the eye. "Well, this had better be as good as you claim or you'll soon die for dragging me out of bed at this time of the morning."

"Oh it is!" Sean and Helen reassured her as one.

Nikki looked bemused by the fact that they had both felt the need to answer so emphatically.

Sean tried to explain. "We've got some scrolls that came to light some time this morning, look, while I get them out of the boot Helen can fill you in on what has happened."

Sean went to get the scrolls and Helen gave Nikki a quick rundown on what Fenner had found and subsequently done. When she reached the part about Fenner removing the scrolls Nikki had taken a deep breath and Helen was sure she heard her mutter "Twat."

Helen agreed with the sentiment although she didn't say anything herself.

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Nikki had nodded in approval upon hearing they had decided to get the scrolls into the archives as soon as possible and said. "Yes, I can see why you wanted to get the scrolls moved, a good choice, with luck there won't be any damage from the sudden change in the environment and the handling Fenner gave them. Once inside we should be able to determine very quickly the state of the vellum and if any damage has occurred." Speaking directly at Sean she added. "Lucky for you I'm pleased you called me, you were right, I would have killed you if you hadn't have done that. It seems as though you won't die today after all."

"Thanks," Sean laughed, as he held the tray carefully in his hands.

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Nikki removed a bunch of keys from her pocket, after she had unlocked the door and turned off the alarm system she led them inside. Clever use had been made of glass to separate the inside areas off so the original features had been preserved. A central corridor ran along the length of the building, Nikki led them to the far end before opening a room on the right hand side, this was obviously her office, it was quite large and had a smaller room which led off it.

Going into the smaller room Nikki went up to a control panel and checked a few of the readouts, looking around at Sean and Helen she explained, "I was lucky enough to have this extra environmentally controlled room added onto my office. It means I can study documents late at night without having to access the main archives all the time. We can look at the vellum here."

Handing the others some white cotton protective gloves she continued, "I just want to clarify a couple of the details before we open this up. The void appeared to be lined with the same sort of stone that makes up Stonehenge so one of the options is the scrolls are as old as the Henge however unlikely that may sound."

"I think that's a fair assumption," Helen responded. "I confess I feel sceptical regarding that age range for the vellum, I don't think I have every heard of anything like this existing so long ago, but we saw no evidence to suggest that they had been planted there as a hoax."

"What amazed me," Sean added. "Was they didn't feel as if they had suffered any age deterioration, the density and weigh felt normal for the size of the bundle, but again like Helen, I can't see how it could be a modern hoax. The void and the hole certainly weren't, there is no way the ground had been disturbed around there for a long time and apart from anything Fenner wouldn't have the brains to create false looking documents of such quality. Sure there was malice in the way he dragged the vellum out of the void like that, but I think that's all it was."

"Ok, we agree not a modern hoax then," Nikki said. "So how about an idea that the vellum is of a later date than the void, somebody comes along, sees the stone lined hole and decides to make use of it."

Both Helen and Sean thought about this for a moment before Sean nodded and Helen said. "I admit that would be my best guess as well. The void had been overgrown and grassed over so couldn't have been open for a long time, could have even there for a couple of hundred years, maybe more."

Sean nodded his agreement once more. "I'm counting on Nikki to be able to tell us that very shortly. This woman has an eerie talent of being able to get the date of books and manuscripts right with out the use of dating techniques. I bet she'll be within one hundred years of the correct date on this."

Helen looked impressed. She raised an eyebrow in silent query to Nikki, who appeared quite happy to answer, "I wouldn't set much store in what that old flatterer has to say. I just think it's because I have such a genuine love for these things and many years of experience behind me. I take it you know Sean and I have been friends for quite a long time now?"

Helen nodded.

"Well, he's great at his job and a super friend but sometimes he thinks I can perform miracles when it comes to dating things. I hate to burst his bubble but I am afraid it's down to many, many years hidden away with my nose stuck inside one book or another, no miracle worker here."

"Well, I still say you do yourself down," Sean retorted. "And I would be surprised if you don't manage to pull some information out of the magic hat this morning."

Nikki laughed her pleasant laugh. "We'll see Sean," looking at Helen she added. "I still say he is crazy, but I've been saying that for years." She paused to go over to the control panel again and adjusted a couple of the switches. "As this was found outside and underground I'll lower the temperate and humidity in here to try and get close to the sort of conditions they would have been in, of course there is always a lot of guess work involved. It should only take a few minutes for the system to start working."

Sure enough the room became noticeably cooler, to the degree that both Helen and Sean were pleased that they had kept their coats on when they had entered the building. The three of them then clustered around the table, Nikki in the middle, all of them eager to get a proper look at what had been found.

Sean voiced what they were all thinking. "I wonder if we really have got something here of any significance to do with Stonehenge or is it going to turn out that these contain details of some Lords plan for the new house on the family estate which in a fit of madness he then buried."

"You what," exclaimed Nikki. "I seriously wonder about you sometimes. Where on earth do you get these ideas from? A mad Lord for God's sake."

Trying to look hurt at Nikki's suggestion Sean replied. "Well it would have to be somebody who could write so that kind of rules out Joe Bloggs down the Street."

"Ok," Nikki said slowly. "I can see your logic there."

Nikki turned to Helen,

"Once you have worked with him for any length of time you do get used to the odd remarks he sometimes comes out with, like I said, crazy."

In deliberately dry tones Helen said. "Yep, I think I'm finding this out."

"Ok girls, enough of knocking the stuffing out of Sean, my ego can only take so much, but right now the suspense is killing me, so shall we?"

Both Helen and Nikki laughed at his feinted horror, before Nikki said. "Here goes nothing."

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She carefully lifted the lid on the tray. Despite what Sean had said about the condition of the vellum, surprise still etched itself on Nikkis face when she saw how good the condition of the bundle was. She found it hard to imagine that vellum more than two hundred years old could survive as well as this appeared to have. Looking at it she decided that Sean's assessment on the weigh and density was fairly accurate. If they were lucky too much damage hadn't occurred.

She glanced at Helen and Sean. "It does look as though it's genuinely old vellum and not a modern forgery." She looked back down at the vellum, and gently lifted the rolled parchment up as Helen moved the tray off the table onto the floor so Nikki could place the precious cargo on the special cotton lined mat used to protect delicate documents against the table's hard surface.

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Nikki started to examine the vellum more closely. Totally absorbed in the task at hand Nikki spoke aloud as she worked. "Right then, let's see what we've got. Its size indicates it's more than one piece of vellum. Made from calves' skin from the look of it, they are rolled together and tied with a broad leather thong and it's in a state of remarkable preservation. No apparent signs of cracking or tears. On the outer layer of the vellum there is some writing, it's quite faded, let's get a glass on that."

Focusing on a set of plastic drawers set on casters in the corner of the room Nikki opened the top drawer of the four, from where she retrieved a small magnifying glass. Looking at Sean she said. "Well Dr Watson what do make of it so far?" Before Sean could answer Nikki seemed to suddenly remember that Helen was also present, she spun to face her looking embarrassed. "Sorry about that, not a professional thing to say. I keep forgetting when I get together with either Sean or Trish at work not to mess about, too many years of being friend's means I tend to react automatically."

"That's alright," responded Helen, and even though she had felt a twinge of jealously at the good relationship these people obviously had, part of her had really warmed to Nikki Wade.

"Phew, thanks for understanding," motioning to the magnifying glass in her hand she added. "Let's see if I can work out what this writing on the outer layer says, I really wouldn't have missed this little mystery for the world."

"I know, its intriguing isn't it," Helen said. "But I can't really allow myself to believe that this will be anything more than Sean's mad Lords title deeds or something."

The three of them laughed lightly as Nikki carried on. Again she talked while she worked. "Right most obvious word is testament, also I can make out Carod, the rest is strange though, a mixture of old and modern English which I find strange. I don't recall ever having come across anything quite like this before. Helen, if you reach into the second drawer from the top on that corner stack, you should find a pen and paper, if we write down it you can both look at it and see if you have any ideas."

A couple of seconds later she heard Helen's voice behind her. "Right I'm ready, fire away."

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Fifteen minutes later the three of them had retired into Nikki's main office, they all sat with a mug of coffee in their hands. Helen looked around and found she approved of the way Nikki had arranged everything. The office was well kept, practical and tidy. The Desk was old-fashioned heavy oak with a leather top. The room held four swivel chairs, one of which was behind the desk, and a small light oak bookcase sat along one wall.

A couple of framed poems hung on the wall, along with some photographs, one of which Helen assumed must have been of Sean and Trish together with Nikki and a fourth woman whom Helen guessed was Sue. On the wall next to the door there was a small white marker board.

Focussing back on the matter at hand Helen placed the note pad on the desk. "Right, here is a list Nikki gave me."

"If I copy this up onto the board it will be easier than handing the pad between us." Nikki picked the notes up with her right hand, and picking up a marker pen with the other she went over to the white board and copied what Helen had written.

'_The realms 12, the Guardians committed, Carod will help. Age of the testament is upon us.'_

Sitting back down, Nikki picked up her coffee. "So do either of you have any ideas as to what that means?"

"Short answer is not at the moment," replied Sean. "What about you Helen?"

"Well the only thing that strikes me is that the words seem modern. I have no idea what Carod means, could it be some sort of code?"

"That's possible, I haven't got a better theory than that so how about we stick with that for the time being and see if we can't work something out."

Sean looked at Nikki. "Oh, oh I've seen that look before, something that we've said has triggered a thought, come on, woman out with it."

"Well," Nikki sounded hesitant. "The realms 12, remember the parchment found last year which divided people on its authenticity? The one which claimed dragons were Guardians of the Realm."

Just as she said that they had both jumped because Helen had nearly choked on the mouthful of coffee she had just taken. Sean and Nikki waited for her to regain her composure, but before they could ask Helen explained. "Sorry about that, I knew there was something bugging me, I should have seen it." She shook her head in disgust. "Nikki is right, people argued about the existence of dragons for weeks."

Helen stood up and took a pen with her, then pointed to Carod. "Look," she wrote another word next to it. "It's an anagram of Draco."

"Got any more information about the story of St George, or on Draco? Sean enquired.

"For you that's not a bad question," Nikki said. "Lucky for us I'm a book nut and I happen to have a book on legends."

She got up and walked over to the bookcase, looking along the top shelf she pulled a small brown covered book out from among the others

Flicking through the pages of the hardback book as she sat down, Nikki found the page she was looking for. Scanning it briefly she said. "Ok, only seem to have the basic story, usual stuff, St George slays dragon and all that jazz, Draco is mentioned but only as a reference to the constellation." Nikki snapped the book shut. "No help there then."

"Back the scrolls?" Helen asked.

"Yep, maybe the answer is there." Nikki replaced the book and led the way back into the environmental room.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Still not beta read, so if you see any glaring errors feel free to let me know. Hope you continue to enjoy. **

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Six.

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Picking their way through the office, Helen looked at her watch, and, with an exclamation she turned to Nikki. "I had better phone my department and get them to send somebody else down to the dig site with instructions on what to do. If we want to keep the scrolls in a low profile situation I'll just say that they appear to be from a much later date than the hole was and that somebody must have utilized it for their own purposes. We have no way of keeping the find quiet because of Fenner and the other police officer involved."

"That's a good thing to say because it isn't far from the truth," Nikki agreed. "At the moment we haven't really got much to work on, if they ask if any writing has been found on the vellum than we can honestly say nothing that makes any sense. Use the phone on my office desk. Just dial 9 for an outside line."

"Thanks a lot." Helen disappeared back into Nikki's main office.

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"Well," Sean almost demanded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "What do you think of Helen?"

Nikki looked surprised at the question, but shrugged and answered quietly, "I like her."

"No more to say," Sean impatience sounded clearly in his voice.

"Ok, I admit there is something I find intriguing about her, but I get the impression there is a big part of her life she is not willing to let people close too."

"I think I know what you mean," Sean conceded. "So often we have invited her out on works nights out, but she just says no. Personally I think there is a lot of unhappiness there somewhere."

"So stop playing matchmaker Sean Parr, and help me get this vellum separated out. It's time to discover whether or not that odd code is written within all the scrolls."

"Tell me what I need to do then Oh Mistress?"

Nikki only scowled in response

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Just over five minutes later Helen re-joined them having sorting out cover at the site for both her and Sean. She found the friends huddled together over the table. Nikki had carefully untied the leather thong used to tie the bundle of vellum together.

When Helen reached the table Nikki turned her head to face her. "Is that all sorted out?"

"Yep, there were no problems, Karen and Julie are going to cover for us and I don't think they will realize the significance of the vellum find."

"For once Fenner might help us out there, if he goes around boasting he found rubbish, like he did with you this morning it should keep peoples curiosity away from the vellum and instead focused on the void."

"That's true, I hadn't really thought of that. How are you two getting on here?"

"Quite well actually," Nikki showed her the first layer of the vellum that she and Sean had carefully removed. "I hate to say it in case I jinx the whole thing, but so far the vellum looks in almost perfect condition. We should be able to handle it quite readily if this carries on. Now you're here, I'll hand the separated sheets to Sean. He can smooth them out, and then you then take them off him and put each individual sheet into the special acid free clear wallets. You should find those in the first drawer of that corner unit. They have a plastic zip across the top to seal the pages in."

"OK," Helen walked over to the drawers and found the wallets straight away.

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Over the next ninety minutes they worked carefully and quietly, every so often they heard voices in the background as people arrived for work. In that time they managed to remove, straighten and bag up seven sheets of the vellum from the main bundle.

During the hour and a half they estimated they had worked their way through about half of the sheets. Writing had appeared on all of the vellum that had been removed from the main bundle, they hadn't bothered to look at it closely deciding to concentrate purely on getting the separate items into individual protective wallets for the moment. They would have time to study what it said afterwards.

Nikki straightened up from leaning over the table, easing the creases out of her back as she spoke, "I think its time for another coffee break. Then I had better pop and see the other archivists here. Luckily I quite often stay late or come in a bit earlier so it won't seem strange that I'm here already."

Both Sean and Helen realized their backs were complaining from being leant over the table. Kneading her spine Helen replied, "I'll settle for a coffee and to be able to sit down for a while to get the cricks out of my neck and back, I don't suppose you have massage facilities here do you?"

"If they do I'm first in line," Sean looked unhappy. "I don't think I'll be able to walk straight for a week at this rate."

Nikki just laughed at them. As they filtered back into the main office Helen suddenly stopped dead, "I've just had a thought, the lid on the void was stone, and we were there to keep an eye on soil infill collapse. I can't see how the stone could have been affected that badly by the digger vibrations. It cracked into a fair few pieces."

"Coincidence maybe," Nikki answered as she set about making the coffee. "A lot of people were tramping over that stone not realizing it was there, the weight of people walking across it could have caused it to crack which then led to the eventual cave in."

"Ach, I suppose so yes." Helen didn't sound too convinced by Nikki's theory, although she knew it was a reasonable hypothesis.

Sean gesticulated with his hands. "Well good old Parr here thinks that it was pre destined and that we were meant to find that vellum to lead us all on some great quest and yes, I am not being, in anyway, serious."

The other two laughed as his joking around, glad of the lighter moment.

Although Sean's face briefly held a sombre look as he added. "On a serious note I think that Nikki's got a fair point, it sounds a plausible idea to me."

Nikki handed them both some coffee before she sat down behind the desk.

Sean studied his friends' tired face and said, "I think you know what I am going to ask next, have you got any idea as to the age of these yet?"

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Nikki scrubbed her eyes with one hand before she sat slightly forward in the comfortable leather chair, "I know you think that I have some magical gift regarding aging parchments, but there is no mystery to it. I just sometimes feel as though I can reach out and touch the history of the object, I can almost imagine myself there at the exact time those words were being written. It's not magical. It's just a huge love for what I do and a gut instinct for the age of something. Almost as though I get a sense of the history."

Nikki held a contemplative look for a moment. "There is one thing that is strange though," her voice clearly echoing the puzzle shown in her bright expressive eyes. "I do manage to normally get a pretty good idea of a parchments history and age, but from some reason I haven't felt that with this vellum." Nikki had a split second of looking frustrated. "It's almost as though there isn't any history to them yet, as if the history hasn't happened."

Sean pointed an accusing finger at her. "See, I told you so, it's more of a magical touch than you are prepared to admit. What makes a sense of history? On what you have just told us, not always the physical evidence left, but a connection that can't be explained, towards the emotions that are left behind on an object. You're not kidding me Nikki, despite your water dowsing tricks. I know you don't believe in things like life force, ghosts and kindred spirits and all of those other un-explainable things but that is how you have just explained what you do to age a parchment or book."

"Bloody hell," Nikki blurted. "Who put whisky instead of coffee into that mug of yours? You never normally get that verbose about something unless you've had some alcohol inside you, and I still disagree with you. Sorry but life is life and no more, there is no way to tap into some magical force."

"Whisky?" Sean took a mock look at his mug. "Nope, not the last time I looked. After what you told us the other night at Trish's I firmly believe that you have hidden depths. You may not have been taking the story seriously yourself, and I may not have appeared to have been taking it that seriously either, due to the rather nice wine that was sloshing around my belly, but I think there could be something to it. In fact, I dare you to tell Helen what you told us and see what she thinks."

"Oh no, don't feel obliged to tell me anything if you don't want to." Helen said hurriedly. The conversation had interested her, even though she knew there was a lot of unknown personal information being talked about.

"No, if you don't mind I think that Sean in his roundabout way may have a valid point. It might be quite good to hear another persons opinion if you don't mind?"

"If you're sure?" Helen felt a bit nervous at being asked to do this, but part of her was intrigued.

"I'm quite sure," responded Nikki. "It's a family story based on our ancestry. It's said, on my Mothers side of the family, one of our ancient ancestors was a Pagan high priestess, and I always thought it was just a family myth. The shortened tale is that she met a wanderer on the plains somewhere and fell instantly in love and in the end she took him as her husband. As well as her powers as a priestess it was said that he was blessed with some mystical powers, and between them they had a great ability to heal and help others."

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Nikki checked to make sure she wasn't boring the Archaeologist and realized Helen was absorbed in the tale so she happily carried on. "It's said this ability has been passed down the female line ever since. If there were no females in a generation then a male member could carry the ability. When Sean heard this the other night he put two and two together and came up with six. Especially after I added the bit where it's said that I am suppose to look very much like this woman, and now he thinks that my ability to date parchments so accurately harks back to those hidden family secrets. I don't think I disbelieve that such talents do exist. I just don't think that my story is necessarily true."

Nikki sighed, sat back in her chair and fiddled with the now empty coffee mug. "Sure I loved hearing the tale as a child and even as an adult I have, in some ways, been quite proud of it. I would love to think that such a strong powerful woman lived all those years ago and that I could be like her."

"You sound like a believing sceptic to me," Helen responded automatically, and then froze before rushing to add. "Oh God, I hope you don't mind me saying that?"

Helen was horrified that she had spoken so brazenly about another person's life and feelings, and especially about somebody she didn't know until today.

"No I don't mind at all," Nikki grinned alleviating Helen's anxiety. "In fact I find that a fascinating phrase, a believing sceptic, yes, I think that might be fairly accurate, and despite what Sean says unless I find definite proof to the contrary I shall happily remain such"

"Ok, ok, I give up, at least for now," Sean threw up his hands in surrender and shook his head. "So Miss Believing Sceptic, shall we proceed with the plan to discover the buried treasure map the scrolls are hiding Ha, ha Jim lad!"

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Nikki looked at Helen in despair, they had both groaned at Sean.

"I give up, I really do, and one of these days that so called sense of humour is going to get him strung up." Nikki got up from her seat. "I take the hint Sean, but before I can carry on I just need to check everything is alright in the rest of the department, I'll see you both shortly."

Helen rose as well. "That's fine, and while you do that I'll rope Sean, AKA Long John Silver into helping me tidy up the mugs and things from the coffee."

Sean just moaned. "Oh why is it you women just love to chain us men to a sink of some sort. No on second thoughts, don't answer that!"

The three of them laughed before going about their respective chores.

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Sometime later Nikki returned and they had got back to the time consuming task of separating the vellum sheets. After another hour and a half of painstaking work they had finally finished and were once again sitting in Nikkis office ruing the protests their muscles were giving them over the fairly immobile nature of the work that they had been doing.

Lunchtime came, and because it had been such a long morning Nikki had sent out for a Chinese meal. Over the last twenty-four hours there had little sleep or food for all of them, so the hot meal welcomed, and the enticing smells lingered slightly. They had discussed whether or not to start trying to read the scrolls now or call it a day and come back tomorrow, and although they were all now yawning almost every ten minutes curiosity had won over and they had decided to stay a bit longer.

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There was a certain amount of apprehension in the air as Nikki had gone into the other room to bring the pages of vellum through to her office. She had assured Helen and Sean that because the vellum was in such good condition and in protective wallets it was safe to look at them outside of the more protective atmosphere. They had decided to read the pages that had been removed from the outer layers of the scrolls first, as they would have no idea whether the pages contents would be linked or not.

Helen and Sean had both insisted that Nikki, as the archivist should be the first one to see what, if anything was written.

Nikki sat down with the first sheet of vellum, and, for the first time since he had known her, Sean realized that she had looked nervous, almost sickly.

His thoughts were confirmed when Nikki turned to them both and said. "I can't believe how nervous I am about reading this. It's what I do for a living for God's sake!"

"I think I know what you mean," Helen half nodded in acknowledgement. "Everything about these scrolls has been unconventional right from the start, and if they do turn out to be historical in nature heaven alone knows what can of worms that could open."

"I wish that thought wasn't a part of the equation. I really am nervous enough as it is, but I can't keep postponing this."

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Nikki turned the scroll around so she could see the writing more clearly. Instantly she felt riveted to the text, drawn in as though pulled through a vortex. The first words she saw were the very same ones Carod had read all those years ago.

'_**This scroll should guide you to a safe place where the other scrolls can be hidden. You have arrived at a time in history when the Celtic beliefs are still held firmly. Garos's influence is not yet ready to take hold of these people as they cling to their old beliefs. This should aid you to live a normal, happy and long life. You are now in England, and you should start your journey towards the South, after a couple of hours you will come across a group from the Saloian tribe. They have been worshipping The Great Comet as their ancestors have done for many years, however this year they have also seen the light from the portal, with luck they should see your coming as an omen and so will aid you in hiding the scroll. Once you have reached your destination and done all of this no more shall be asked of you, you may if you wish destroy this scroll, as there is no more help that can be given to you. ' **_

Underneath those words, in a different hand, more had been added.

'_Let not my doubt or darkness speak to me. Anharad has been my salvation. Her light and life breathes into my own, the waves of her goodness wash over me. May our kin know and understand the words to be spoken. I declare this my life's work, may many know the name of Carod the Wader. May my soul find rest and peace. The road that mankind must follow is not easy but the rewards will be great.' _

Nikki had now lost track of all the things around her, unsure if she had even read this aloud for the other two to hear. Her vision seemed to be focused on a void pulling all normal things away from her. It was like walking through a sea spray, blues and greys splashing up brighter and brighter, hypnotising, a kaleidoscope of colours and images until suddenly she felt as if she was no longer in the archives. A scene unfolded in front of her like a film, but she felt as though she was observing it as an unseen player.

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A man and women stood in front of her, lit up by the flames from torches dotted around the stones. Nikki suddenly recognized where she was, Stonehenge swept out before of her, the night skies rumbling with thunder.

Nikki looked at the woman and felt she was looking in a mirror. Apart from longer hair the woman was identical to herself, but, unlike Nikki this woman seemed to issue an unlimited strength and power directly from her soul.

The man who stood next to her was as golden in hair colour as the woman was dark. He radiated calm and peace, total serenity. It was the perfect balance of two people that seemed to blend as one. It was amazing, absolute, unfettered symmetry.

The woman spoke, her alto tone clear through the night air. "My husband, our first child is born, and the stones are placed. The time to hide your precious cargo is now upon us."

"Anharad, my dear and precious wife, my trust in you has always been complete, my job here is done, I pray for those who follow." His voice had been pure and serene. It seemed to wash unconditional peace across Nikki's soul. Unfelt until now, tears of joy had been falling down her face. Without understanding how or why, Nikki knew this had to be her Pagan Priestess with the wanderer that she had married. There was no doubt in her mind, these were indeed her ancestors.

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Anharad then looked up and appeared to stare straight at Nikki as if she was able to penetrate her very being. Her words echoed in the brooding landscape. "The scrolls will remain safe until such a time that they can be read and truly understood. Carod came to us from the stars and to the stars they will eventually return. False believers will do all they can to turn those doing good from the right path, but honesty, goodness and truth must prevail. There will be help along the way from those that are worthy. Each man and woman must tread their own path and find their destiny. The time to open hearts and to open minds is now. Learn to feel."

The man she had called Carod then knelt as Anharad stood behind him and placed her hands on top of his head. With beautiful tones that reverberated around each stone he spoke. "Our first born, a girl, to her we entrust this secret, when it is ready to be revealed, her children's, children, children will be guided as much as possible in what is to be done. I have completed all I can to help them make the right choices. It is my hope that they are not deceived by false claims or prophets as I had been. True love will be their key as it has been mine. They must unlock these secrets for The Grith to see."

Suddenly, with a huge gasp Nikki felt the world spinning around her. Voices were echoing through her head, mixed and loud. Somebody was calling her name time and time again. Gradually that masked everything else out and she realized Helen was calling to her, worry sounding in her voice as she repeated Nikki's' name.

Opening her eyes the first thing Nikki saw was Helen kneeling in front of her, she had hold of Nikki's' hands and looked worried. Sean was at her other side concern etched onto his face. He was holding the parchment that she had been reading. Unbeknown to her it had fallen from her hands. Nikki felt bewildered and unsure of herself.

Trying to focus her mind she managed to ask in a shaky voice. "What the hell happened there?"

"I wish we knew," Helen's relief obvious on her face as she spoke. "You started to read the vellum, then you went as white as a sheet and we thought you had passed out, but then you carried on talking, it didn't appear to be anything that was written down. Sean checked on the parchment. You gave what sounded like two names Carod and Anharad. Carod was the word used on code we found so it does look like that was a name. You then said something about honesty, goodness and true love, also something about unlocking secrets. It scared the hell out of us."

"It scared the hell out of me as well." Nikki said with some feeling.

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As Nikki felt more in control of herself she began to realise that she could remember the whole scene in every detail, emotions were as clear as the sights and the sounds. It really felt as if she had been there such was the reality of it all.

"Can you remember anything?" Sean asked.

"Oh yeah, that felt so damn real." Nikki shook her head almost in disbelief at what had happened. She then proceeded to relay everything she had seen and heard to them, when she had finished they had both sat there unsure what to say. The archaeologist's looked equally stunned at Nikki's revelations.

Helen was the first to speak. "If I hadn't have seen the way you reacted to that scroll I wouldn't have believed it. I'm still not sure I can take it in fully even now. If this was a genuine vision then the repercussions could be enormous."

"But Helen," Sean countered. "Please don't take this the wrong way because we haven't known each other very long, but I wouldn't have put you down as the sort of person that would believe in visions of this nature. You've heard me hint that I have an open mind to such things but I can't help but wonder why you are so convinced this was real. Let's face it. We haven't even asked Nikki if she felt as if it was a true vision."

"Oh, believe me, it was a vision alright," Nikki, interrupted vehemently. "I know I've always dismissed the families' stories but that was just too damn real. I just wish I could sort it out in my head a bit more. Look," Nikki took a steadying breath. "Thanks for your support both of you, but you can't be expected to believe what has just happened."

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Helen chewed the top edge of her lower lip. "I hope you don't mind me giving my point of view," she held up a hand to forestall any argument. "I know that I can give the impression that this is the sort of thing that I wouldn't give the time of day, but I have always believed in many spiritual things. If this felt as real as you say, backed up with what Sean and I both saw, then that means I am not prepared to dismiss this. Something about this project has been niggling away at me from the moment I set foot on Stonehenge, and it was more than just excitement at being able to work unhindered at the site. Whatever this mystery is I feel it is right for us to investigate, for some reason I think it's important."

"But what do we do now?" Sean sounded lost. "I wouldn't want Nikki exposed to that sort of stress again, and how do we know the other scrolls won't have a similar effect on not just Nikki but all of us?"

"It's a good point Sean, but I think that scroll had a very personal message." Nikki was now looking less haggard from her ordeal as she spoke. "I wouldn't have thought that all the other scrolls would have such an effect. How about if we concentrate on writing down what I saw and heard, but not here, I think I need to get away from the office and into some personal space."

Nikki paused as she contemplated something. "Sean, do you think if you phoned Trish that she could leave work a bit early and meet us? I really would value her insight on this. We can also take the scrolls with us. I have no doubt in my mind that they will now be safe from any possible air damage."

Nikki glanced at the Scottish woman still at her side and smiled shyly. "Helen thanks for sticking with this, I know that we hadn't met before today, yet somehow your help and support means an awful lot. I agree with you, it's right and important for us to investigate this."

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"Your faith in me means a lot Nikki, thank you." Helen lowered her head bashfully, greatly honoured by what the darker woman had said. For the first time in her life something seemed to be making sense without her having to think about it, and for the first time since the break up of her relationship she hadn't thought of Thomas once that day. It came as quite a shock to realise just how much she had hung on to the hope that they may have got back together.

When Sean spoke it made Helen jump from her own thoughts. "Is it alright if I phone Trish from here? I think she'll want to help, no that's wrong, I'm know she'll want to help."

"Help yourself," Nikki said, and although she still sounded a bit worn out from what had happened she motioned towards the phone in a strong manner. "I'm not really sure where would be the best place to meet though. Would be cheeky to automatically invite ourselves to Trish's and I know my flat will be a bit too small for the four of us."

"We can go to my house." Helen surprised herself, normally her taciturn nature kept people at bay, yet she hadn't hesitated offering.

"Are you sure, I don't want us to be an imposition."

"No imposition at all I promise you, I can cook us a light meal and hopefully we can get in a bit of relaxation."

"That sounds like it's settled then," Sean moved towards the desk. "I'll get on the blower, and then we can think about going." He stopped suddenly thinking about practical issues and turned to ask. "Hey Nikki, are you happy driving your car or do you want to come with Helen and me?"

"If there is enough parking I'll be alright driving my car thanks Sean."

Helen nodded her head as she replied. "Don't worry about parking. I'm lucky that two of my neighbours don't drive so there is always plenty of space, unlike some areas of the city."

As Sean went to the phone Helen turned to Nikki. "How go you want to transport the scrolls out of here?"

"I thought we may as well use the finds tray they came in, we know they will fit in there nicely and because they are not clear plastic people won't be able to see that we are taking them with us."

"If people find out what we are doing then you do realise that we'll all be for the high jump"

"I know, but if none of us thought it was that important we certainly wouldn't be risking our careers like this."

"True, so shall we go and get the scrolls into the tray?"

"Um yeah, Sean should be finished on the phone soon, then the only other thing we need to do is get time off tomorrow so we can work unhindered."

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A few minutes later Sean went into the outer room to find Helen and Nikki just finishing the careful packing. He told them that he had managed to get in touch with Trish and that she was quite happy to meet them at Helens. Just before they left Sean and Helen phoned their department and arranged for Karen and Julie to carry on at Stonehenge, it was quite easy to arrange as they were able to cite tiredness from the very long day.

Nikki had an easier job of it as all she needed to do was walk down to the relevant department and book a day's holiday. All three had decided that if they needed any more time off the weekend followed and so that should give them some leeway.

Walking back out though the building Helen found it hard to believe it was the same place they had arrived at this morning. Then they had walked up an empty, deadly quiet corridor, and now, as they made their way out, a person would occasionally walk past them, muttering their greetings to Nikki as they went. None seemed at all concerned that two strangers were in their midst.

Of course Helen realised they had no reason to be concerned, the three of them were the only ones who knew what secrets the scrolls might hold, and Sean was probably not much of a stranger anyway because of his friendship with Nikki.

Before long they were in the cars, slowly weaving their way through the traffic, another difference to this morning, having driven through almost deserted roads. Now those same streets were clogged with cars, buses, vans and Lorries all trundling about their daily business.

While she drove, carefully following Sean, Nikki's thoughts turned to what had happened, and she found herself wondering when and how all this was likely to end.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Again, if you spot any glaring errors, please let me know. **

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Seven.

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They made good time to Helen's house. Trish knew the area well, and arrived soon after the others got there and been quickly introduced. Helen immediately decided she liked the blond woman. Trish had raised an eyebrow at the close interaction between her best friend and the Scottish woman. However, she realized the two women had yet to see the close bond, so rather than push the issue and risk driving them apart Trish kept her peace, and instead, had insisted on helping Helen rustle up a roast chicken salad for everyone.

After the early dinner they had all retired to the snug sitting room at the back of the house. Nikki concentrated on writing down everything that she had seen and heard in her vision, verbally relaying the story to the others as she wrote. The day quickly wore on and the autumn chill started to creep into the air. Helen lit a fire in the grate and that was effortlessly warming the room, Nikki and Helen had sat on the cosy leather sofa to the left of the fire, and Trish and Sean sat in large plush chairs on the opposite side.

They all had glasses of various cold drinks in their hands. After their early start the two archaeologists and Nikki were now starting to feel very tired but reluctant to stop at the moment. Trish to her credit had believed the story regarding Nikki's vision without question. They were now at the stage where nobody seemed to quite know what to do next. A silence had fallen over the room, each person going over the day's events in their own minds.

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Helen was the first to break the quiet. "To stop the small risk of Nikki having to go through that again, one of us could try reading the remaining writing on that scroll and also what is on the other scrolls, then if it could be written down we hopefully won't need to handle the scrolls any more than is necessary."

"Alright," Trish was quick to agree. "Who wants to transcribe what's said?"

"Would you mind that job?" Sean knew Trish had learnt shorthand in order to get a secretary's job to pay her way through university.

"No," Trish was pleased to be able to help in some way. "Do you want to make a start tonight or leave it until the morning?"

"I feel I want to try and get as much as possible out of this tonight." And although Nikki seemed tired there was an unmistakable energy in her eyes.

"Me too." Sean nodded.

"Well if people get tired they are more than welcome to stay the night," Helen added quietly, wondering how it was she felt so at ease with people who were almost complete strangers. "I've got a couple of spare beds plus this sofa folds out to a bed."

"Thanks," Sean sounded relieved. "I think I might take you up on that."

"I'm not sure I want to risk driving back tonight without some sort of sleep," Nikki yawned. "Thanks Helen," she paused slightly. "So, who wants to read the scroll?"

"Personally I think it should be Helen, not because I am the perfect male chicken when it comes to such matters, it's just that she is the Henge specialist who also believed that Stonehenge had more to offer than a few stones shoved in a field."

Sean looked at Helen before carrying on. "I remember reading that first paper you had published, I believe you were still at university, quite a coup to have that printed while still a student, I think that has earned you the privilege to have first stab."

"God, that papers going back some, I'm honoured that you can remember it." Helen's surprise showed. "I must confess that you're right. I would love the chance to read the parchments, although I must also admit I am a bit worried because of what happened to Nikki earlier."

"I honestly don't think that is going to be too much of a problem," Nikki reassured her. "And if by some small chance it did happen again I think part of the reason why I felt so shocked afterwards was that it was so unexpected, that's not an issue this time. I'll do it if you want?"

"No its alright, I think I am probably worrying over nothing, and you're right about it not being totally unexpected this time, come on, hand the scroll over, lets get going."

#

Nikki passed over the scroll, Sean and Trish picked up some note pads that Helen had found earlier ready to jot down what was said. With a certain degree of apprehension Helen started to read the last part of the scroll

_'All will be exposed. As it was in the beginning false hope has been given to mankind. I shall expose the unrighteous. Each man and woman will have the right to follow their own heart, equally and without prejudice and fear. All that has been laid before the Guardians is false testament. Many battles have been fought, some won, some lost, but always have they been started for just reasons. A single mind should not control realm's destiny. Bear witness to what these scrolls have to say. Change those wrongs into rights. The Great Light will guide those chosen towards helping The Grith.'_

"Well," Trish wondered. "Certainly is cryptic. And it does sound as though there could be something of major importance hidden in the rest of the scrolls."

"Yep, it sure does," Nikki had a look of pure contemplation on her face. "What was that one sentence again? 'All that has been laid before the Guardians is false testament.' Now does that mean that the scrolls are holding false testament or does it refer to something else?"

"But what would that something else be? And who the hell are these Guardians?" Sean asked, obviously puzzled.

"From the use of the words could the constellation Draco be the Great Light they talked about? Before he met Anharad was Carod originally a Guardian? Also the use of the word Grith, that is a word often associated with old English law for protection, or sanctuary, maybe a church site. Churches were early sanctuary," Helen suggested. "A very radical thought I know, but countering that is the argument that the scrolls seem to date much earlier than Christianity."

"Or," Nikki reasoned. "It could just point to a spot that has provided a hiding place for more information."

"So how do we precede?" Sean asked and he looked around at the others. "There must be some way of connecting Nikki's family to the scrolls and to whatever it all means?"

#

"There is another possibility," Helen reticently ventured. "The scrolls could be religious in nature."

"What makes you say that?" Nikki gently probed the obviously hesitant Scot.

"Religion goes on what is written in the bible. But what if that is wrong? The bible is made up of the old and new testaments, yet hundreds, if not thousands of years separate them. I often wonder how accurate they can be. We might have to ask, what is The Grith in relation to Religion?"

Helen hung her head as if she was hurt by what she was about to say next. "My father is a minister in the Scottish Kirk. I began to loath the way he preached about hatred."

Trish looked slight shocked at what Helen had said. "Why would you feel that way?"

"One of my main arguments with my Father was people's lack of thought over the teachings and beliefs of religion. Faith verses doctrine." Helen's timbre was so quiet the others could only just make out what she was saying. "So often, if you read the Bible, it says that we should question ourselves on how loyal to the faith we are being and how are we using our knowledge to become a better Christian. My Father works more on doctrine but surely faith has to come first because without that you have nothing."

Helen stopped, lost in thought, and then snorted, an unhappy sound but not quite full out derision. "My Father, like so many, reached a plateau that he was happy with, then surrounded himself with the parts of the Bible that suited him, ignored the parts that made him feel uncomfortable and then happily stagnated. My Father is not a bad man, but he firmly believes that he has done enough, that his sins are now cleansed and that he needs to do no more except wait for judgement day."

"How did that uncompromising approach affect the way he treated you?" Nikki asked softly.

"He has always been inflexible in everything he does. He is convinced that only his way of believing will save a person's soul. Yes, there are parts in the Bible that can be seen as rigid, but there are many parts that are flexible asking us to question ourselves. And because I wanted to embrace those parts as well as what my Father believed he saw it as blasphemy."

Helen looked down at the glass of tonic water that she was holding. "So often the rigid seems to have caused nothing but misery and suffering, and to me it doesn't allow for common sense."

"Is it because you are not letting yourself be corrupted by that unyielding approach that makes you envelop the idea that these might be new Christian scrolls?" Nikki probed, realizing how painful this was for Helen. "After all, we could have something completely different. Sean pointed out earlier the scrolls came from an early period."

"Yes," Helen replied, slowly and deliberately. "What worries me is the established church. People like my Father hold enough power to stop the general population from opening up their minds to new possibilities. Or, worse, they could even try and stop new possibilities being available for the world to read."

"Let's hope its moot point."

#

"Alright," Sean realized things were becoming hard for Helen and took charge. "I'm working on the most obvious and that it these scrolls predate Christianity." He waited as the others nodded their agreement. "So how do we present this at a future point?" Sean looked around before he carried on. "Like I said before, surely there must be some way of bridging Anharad and Carod to the modern day?"

"Nikki's story may provide us with clues on that," Trish realized. "If Nikki's family have used a shortened version of the tale over the years maybe an older family member has details that would otherwise have been forgotten. After all didn't Carod say in the vision that clues would be left down the daughters' family line, what may have seemed a small thing could provide us with a valuable amount of information now the scrolls have come to light."

"That's my girl, go to the head of the class. I knew I asked her here for a reason." Nikki grinned wildly. "I think it's time to contact my Mother."

#

The four of them looked both excited and thoughtful all at once, the knowledge of what they might have found sinking in. The enthusiasm showed on Helens face when she pointed to the small table at Nikki's side of the sofa. "If you want to phone now, feel free, that is, if you don't mind us eavesdropping on the conversation, or there is a phone upstairs in my bedroom which would give you some privacy."

"I don't mind you all listening, after all I shall be relaying the relevant parts of the conversation anyway."

#

As if to emphasise the point, Nikki picked up the phone without hesitation and dialled a number from memory. The time it took for the number to ring seemed to last a lifetime. Nikki found she was nervously tapping the table with her fingers while she waited for her Mother to answer. Eventually the phone was picked up.

"Hello, 838415," was heard echoing clearly in the quiet room.

"Hi Mum."

"Nikki, is everything all right?" The reply was instant and concerned. "It's quite late; you don't normally ring at this time."

With a jolt, Nikki realised it had gone ten at night, and, understanding her Mothers reaction she was quick to reassure her. "No, nothings wrong, sorry to scare you, I hadn't realised how late it had become."

"Oh that's alright then." The relief in her Mothers voice was obvious, "so what can I do for you?"

"Believe it or not the priestess story, I know I've never really shown much interest in it before but Sean's new boss Helen Stewart invited us all over for a meal this evening and as she specialises in Hedges'. We got talking about possible pagan use for such sites. You know what it's like, and that lead onto our story. It turns out she is researching this sort of thing so I wondered if there was anything more you could add."

"I think there may be some things I can help you out with. There is a pile of stuff in a trunk. My Grandmother, your Great Grandmother wrote a lot of the story down, and when she died and left the trunk to me I must confess I shoved it up in the attic and basically forgot about it. There might be something of interest there."

"I know its short notice, but could we collect that tomorrow to have a look though, I'm sure Sean won't mind going up into the attic to sort it out for you."

"Yes, that's fine, any time after nine."

"Hang on a minute while I check that time is alright for everybody," Nikki looked towards the others. "As you may have guessed, my Mothers got some stuff up in the attic. How does 9am sound to go and collect it all?"

Helen and Trish nodded, Sean grinned and said. "That's fine. It sounds like I have volunteered to be an attic monkey for the morning?"

Nikki grinned back at him. "Yep, if you don't mind, I hate going up into that attic, you know me and confined spaces," Nikki turned her attention back to her Mother. "9am is fine Mum, if you don't mind Trish and Helen will almost certainly be with us?"

"No, I don't mind, it's always lovely to see Trish and I look forward to meeting Helen for the first time. Send Sean and Trish my love and I'll see you then."

"Thanks Mum, lots of love to all at your end, bye for now."

Nikki paused while her Mother said her goodbyes, then she replaced the phone on its receiver.

#

With a heavy sigh, which showed how tired they were all now feeling, Nikki took a sip from her drink before she filled them in on what her Mother had said about her Grandmothers written journal. Sean rubbed his eyes. He looked shattered. Helen didn't feel much better and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

Realising that they wouldn't get much more done tonight Trish rose from her chair before saying her goodbyes to Nikki and Sean. Because she wasn't as tired as the others Trish decided to drive back tonight, her cat would also need feeding in the morning, so it made sense for her to go home. Arranging to meet them directly at Nikki's parents Helen saw her out.

Once Helen shut the front door, she didn't go straight back to the sitting room. Making her way upstairs she got some spare sheets, pillows and duvets from the linen cupboard. She also rummaged for a pair of Thomas's old pyjamas that Sean could use and some spare nightclothes for Nikki. Then she made up one of the spare beds and took the rest of the bedding back down into the sitting room.

#

Walking back into the snug Helen had to stifle a laugh when she discovered Sean was virtually snoring in his chair and Nikki didn't look much better.

"I've made up the spare bed if you want to sleep there?"

"Oh, thanks," Nikki's voice sounded heavy from tiredness. "If I stay here much longer I'll be joining Sean in the snoring stakes."

"I'll just show you where the bathroom and spare towels are before I deal with the sofa bed. I also put a pair of nightclothes out for you, they'll be a wee bit short but should fit otherwise," glancing across at Sean Helen added. "I don't think Sean will mind the sofa bed tonight. I'll make it up after you've settled in, that will be the easy part, and somehow I've got to wake him enough to get him to move."

Looking at her sleeping friend Nikki smiled. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, if you can't move him just leave a lamp on, then he'll be able to see the sofa bed is made up."

"Why do I get the feeling that you have seen all this before during your years of friendship?" Helen also smiled slightly.

"I confess it has happened on several occasions, mainly when a party has been going on. Luckily Sean is really easy going and adaptable, he won't take offence to wake up and find we aren't here, he might pretend he is, but he's not really."

"If you're that sure then let's get you sorted out."

Nikki yawned. "To bed I think, thanks again Helen for your hospitality, you didn't have to do all this, but I'm grateful you have."

"I can honestly say it's been a pleasure. Now, if I don't show you your bed, it will be time to get up again."

#

Yawning herself, Helen showed Nikki up to the spare room, and after saying their goodnights Helen made her way back downstairs to make up the sofa. By this point Sean was snoring so heavily Helen decided to go with what Nikki had said and didn't try to wake him. Instead she left a table lamp on for him to find his way about if he woke up. Carefully closing the door Helen made her way quietly upstairs. She couldn't remember the last time she had dealt with such a long day. After changing into her pyjamas and climbing into bed her brain hardly registered anything as she turned her light off and snuggled into the duvet. It certainly didn't register her head hitting the pillow.

#

With a struggle Nikki woke, senses slowly creeping awake through the fog of tiredness that engulfed her. To start with she couldn't make out what the dull buzzing in the background was. Gradually she realised an alarm clock was ringing close to her head. With an effort she opened her eyes, slight panic hit her when she didn't recognise where she was before the memories of the previous day returned suddenly.

Reaching out with her left hand she struck lucky and by sheer chance managed to hit the off button on the unfamiliar alarm clock first time. Returning her head to the pillow Nikki gathered her thoughts, and looking back at the clock she realised that Helen had set it the previous night to give them two hours to get ready and reach her parents. Hoping the others were awake, she got up and made her way into the bathroom. Shortly afterwards she made her way quietly down to the kitchen.

Approaching the door she could hear activity and the smell of freshly made coffee lingered in the air. Opening the kitchen door she found that both Helen and Sean had beaten her to it.

#

Sean was sitting at the table while Helen was busy laying the breakfast things. Both looked better for their uninterrupted nights sleep, although Sean still looked a bit tousled, and was yawning heavily. Nikki guessed he hadn't been awake long. The two work colleagues had been talking in low ones but when Nikki entered the room they broke off their conversation to greet her.

Sean ran his hand through his hair. "Ah, good morning, as I was just telling our esteemed host I woke at some ungodly hour last night to find you beautiful pair had abandoned poor little old me, alone and scared of the dark."

Helen paused from making some toast and interrupted him with a grin. "I left a lamp on for you. Don't milk it too much buster, besides Nikki warned me you would try to convince us you had been hard done by."

Nikki laughed. "That sounds like typical Sean."

Sean held a hand to his chest in a theatrical manner. "Tut, I don't know, can't get a word in edgeways, sorry girls but there I was all alone and scared of the dark when I saw the welcome sight of a duvet and pillow. Never was I more grateful to see a bed."

Struggling to keep a straight face Nikki walked over to where Sean was sitting, she leant down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You old flatterer you, I'm glad you had a good nights sleep, I know how tired I was and I didn't get up as early as you."

"Yep I did sleep well, thank you."

"Helen, how about you?" Nikki looked towards where Helen was working. "I hope you slept well, and thanks again for the spare bed and the meals."

"I slept like a log, and it's been a pleasure," as she replied Helen turned towards the coffee machine. "And talking of meals would you like a coffee? There's also toast or cereal if you want anything to eat?"

"Coffee sounds wonderful. Toast would be nice as well if you don't mind."

"White or brown bread?"

"Brown please."

#

Helen motioned to Nikki to sit at the table while she handed her the coffee, Nikki helped herself to the milk and sugar that were already placed on the table. Helen had also poured herself a drink and topped up Sean's mug before she joined them at the table.

"Sorry I didn't give you the choice of brown or white bread Sean, only I had made the toast before you joined me and before I thought about asking."

"Believe me, I don't mind one little bit, this is very nice," Sean was looking very content and bit into the slice he had already buttered. "One advantage of arriving before Nikki is that the old mastication tools got to work quicker so now she has to sit there and drool while my belly gets filled."

"And I love you too," was Nikki's good-humoured reply. "And anyway, I believe that was the toaster finishing with my slices so there!"

She got up and retrieved the bread that had just been ejected before sitting back down and starting to butter the enticing smelling toast. "You know I'm rather relieved to find I have woken up here, in a strange bed, then finding you both down here, otherwise I might have easily convinced myself that yesterday didn't happen." She stopped talking to take a bite.

"I know," Helen said. "How come those sorts of events always seem a bit of a dream the following day?"

"Exactly," Sean paused from helping himself to another piece of toast. "I hope Nikki's Mum can help today. It will certainly be interesting to see what her granny wrote down."

"And that's another irony," added Helen. "Yet more writing."

"We haven't even looked closely at rest of the scrolls yet," agreed Nikki. "I hope that we get chance to that later today."

"Well they can stay here for now. They should be quite safe where they are on the hallway table. I don't mind everybody coming back here to look at them later. I must say I was impressed with the excuse you came up with last night when talking to your Mother about why you wanted to find out about the story in more detail."

"Well, I didn't think that talking about visions and things at that time of night would have given my Mum a good night's sleep and it's a story that was plausible. Obviously if the subject comes up today then I'll have to gauge the situation before I decide if I'm going to tell her the whole story."

"I'm sure your Mum will be fine," Sean grinned as he spoke. "I'm also quite happy coming back here afterwards, apart from anything. Helen, you make a really good cup of coffee."

Helen picked up on the lightness of his tone. "Don't get your feet too comfortable under that table mate. This bed and breakfast closes soon. And I have to say it's the coffee machine that has all the talent in this household."

After the laughter had died down an easy silence fell as they all concentrated on finishing their breakfast, and then the washing up, which Nikki and Sean had insisted on doing between them.

#

Forty-five minutes later they were all ready to leave, Trish had phoned to say she was running on time. The route they took meant that they were driving past where both Nikki and Sean lived so they were able to stop briefly at each address, allowing them the chance to change their clothes, check mail and phone messages. They also packed a small suitcase each in case they ended up staying at Helen's another night.

Rather than take two cars they had just gone in Sean's, as he knew the way. Helen was quite relieved not to be driving as it sounded like the house was quite remote. If she had driven Helen knew it would take longer because she would need directions the whole time. Helen had opted to sit in the rear seat of the car, leaving Nikki the front. The weather was another beautiful sunny day, although they all had coats with them in case it went cooler or started to rain. Helen found it was nice to take in the scenery for a change, now she was single it wasn't often she got the chance to be a passenger and admire the landscape, and while it didn't have the mountains that she was used to growing up in Scotland there certainly was a lot of beauty to be seen.

#

After a while Sean turned the car left, off the main road onto a single-track lane, hedges enclosed the lane on both sides, there were occasional passing places for vehicles, rabbits also ran around, often in front of the car, forcing Sean to slow down. The odd pheasant showed itself, sometimes in a panic one would launch away in front of them, a flurry of bronze and gold feathers, wings flapping madly. Rosehips jutted out of the hedgerows every now and then, showing red and ripe against the green leaves. Rowan trees hung heavy with their berries, hazelnuts were also forming in the branches, nearly ready for picking, the leaves just starting to turn from their summer green. Helen was beginning to think the lane would never end when suddenly a farm track appeared on their right.

Skilfully Sean swung the car into the track and over the subsequent cattle grid. Smoothly he drove along, somehow managing to avoid the worst of the potholes that littered the track. Indeed the pothole was a symbol of all such farm tracks throughout the whole country. Soon Helen caught sight of the farmhouse, it was an old stone built house, and stood nestled against the small hillside that rose up above it, a small yard separated them from the driveway, a typical mixture of old and new buildings stood slightly too one side. Helen doubted you could get the sight of brand new corrugated sheds standing next door to an old stone building anywhere except on a farm. It seemed to symbolise another common factor shared by farms all over the country.

Getting closer to the yard Sean slowed the car down even more, Helen immediately understood why. Out of a barn door a black and white sheepdog bolted, determined to launch an attack on the car wheels. Making their way up through the yard so they could park in front of the house the dog followed, intent on trying to grab hold of the car tyres and bark at the same time. The moment they reached the top boundary of the yard the dog gave up the chase and slunk back to his lair to await their return or a new victim.

#

Helen realized Nikki looked happy and relaxed, obviously pleased to be home and she turned around in the car seat in order to see Helen better. "I hope you like mad dogs and Englishmen because it's an informal atmosphere in my parent's house."

Nikki turned back in her seat and undid her seatbelt just as Sean pulled the Renault up behind Trish's Mini. Helen hoped Trish hadn't been waiting too long for them to arrive. Nikki bounded out from the front seat as though on springs. At the exact same time the farmhouse front door had been opened revealing a slightly shorter, slim woman aged about 60 with short dark hair which was going grey and who was dressed sensibly in jeans and a checked shirt. She was obviously Nikki's Mother and she had her arms outstretched to welcome her daughter. Behind Nikki's mother a spaniel followed, wagging his tail in greeting. Sean joined Helen to say their hellos once Mother and daughter had embraced.

Nikki looked towards the house. "I expect Trish hasn't been waiting too long for us?"

"Not at all," Nikki's Mother had had a cheerful well-spoken voice. "I'd just sat her down with a mug of tea when Oscar started too bark"

"Good, I'm glad she's not been kept waiting," turning her attention back to the others Nikki carried on. "Mum, you know Sean of course?"

"Yes hello again."

"Hello Val, nice to see you again."

Nikki then swung about to present Helen. "And this is Sean's boss, Helen Stewart. It's thanks to her interest in Henge's that we got to come here today."

"Well I'm glad it did, I don't see enough of my daughter so any excuse to get her here is welcome, and please just call me Val."

Shaking Val's hand Helen responded in kind, she had an overwhelming feeling of genuine compassion and friendship issuing from Nikki's Mother. It was easy to see where Nikki got her pleasant nature and twinkling eyes.

Making their way to the front door, Val addressed Helen. "I hope you don't mind dogs, only Oscar is always at my feet."

"I love dogs myself and often wish I could have one but it's just not practical with me working full time," Helen said ruefully.

"You'll love Oscar then," Val ushered them through the front door. "You would be surprised at the number of people who get quite upset at a dog being around."

While her Mother was talking Nikki had been leading the way and it struck Helen how cosy the house felt, they went through a short hallway which had a bigger hall leading off it, but they didn't need to go there as the hall they were in also went directly into a kitchen.

An AGA range stood in an inglenook fireplace, a lovely oak bean running across the top of the fireplace, exposed wooden beams and a light décor all helped to generate a warm and relaxing atmosphere. A scrubbed pine table stood in the middle of the room with cupboards and a sink down one wall with a fridge and cooker situated in a recess opposite. Trish sat in one of the six chairs that surrounded the table. A man with light hair, beard and glasses aged about 65 sat at the head of the table eating breakfast.

Nikki happily made a beeline for him. "Dad, I'm so glad you're in from the farmyard."

He replied in a deep clear voice. "Hello my love, I must confess I wouldn't normally be in at this time, but when your Mum told me you were popping up today I decided to get the animals done before I had my breakfast so I wouldn't have to be rushing off."

Nikki beamed and thanked her father with a hug.

#

Again Helen went through the formal introductions and discovered that Nikki's Father was called Dennis, of course Sean had a less formal introduction. Val got everybody seated at the table before arranging who was drinking tea and who wanted coffee. Gentle conversation drifted through the kitchen for some time. After a while things turned to the reason why they were there.

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	8. Chapter 8

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Eight.

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Val and Nikki led the way through the farmhouse. Going to a door leading off the landing, it opened up onto stairs that led straight into the attic. The old house used to have servants quarters up there but now apparently it was crammed full of old bits and pieces, only really allowing one person at a time to venture up into its bowels. Val turned on the light switch and Helen discovered that Nikki hated going into the attic. It seemed that she'd had a frightening experience when she was a child. Her older brother had locked her in while their parents were away and she had spent a very cold lonely day up there.

Hence Sean was going to be looking for the trunk. Luckily Val had got a rough idea where Dennis had stored the items that had come from her grandmother's house after her death. Sean had flashed his usual cheeky grin at them as he went up and he took a torch with him just in case extra light was needed.

#

Soon Sean could be heard, the sounds of boxes scrapping across the floor and muffled words mingled with his footsteps. Then he raised his voice so they could all hear clearly what was happening. "So far a lot of dust, wow, a lovely old rocking horse, oh, it's got a broken leg poor thing. Ah, hang on, what do we have here? I think I may have just hit the jackpot."

They heard a much louder scrapping as something was dragged across the attic floor. Everybody jumped as Sean's head suddenly appeared around the door, "I've found a small metal trunk, I assume it's the one, do you want me to lower the whole thing down to you or shall I open it up and unload the bits out of it? Oh, and it's not too heavy."

"It sounds like the right one. If it's not too heavy then we may as well have the whole thing down," Val instructed him. "It would make sorting through everything a bit easier if we can keep it contained a bit."

"Coming down then," Sean's head disappeared. Seconds later a bit more scrapping could be heard as the end of a metal trunk suddenly came into view. It had once been painted dark green, but now looked mostly a rusty colour and large bits of paint had flaked off. Nikki and Trish positioned themselves either side of the door as it came down the stairs so they could hold and balance it from below.

#

Very quickly they had the trunk at their feet and Sean was making his way back down the stairs.

"Thanks Sean, you'll be pleased to know that's the right trunk," Val looked happy as she spoke. "I must confess I'm glad you've galvanised me into action. Every year on the anniversary of Granny's death I kept promising to ask Dennis to get it down so I could have a look, I know you said about taking it with you but can we have a quick look here first? Granny was always very secretive about its contents and so I must admit I'm intrigued."

Helen and Nikki stole a glance at one another. This was the point at which Nikki had to decide how much she felt her Mother could know, or indeed would want to know.

"Where do you want to look at this Mum?" Nikki hadn't been sure what she would tell her Mother, but she felt there would be no need to keep anything from her. "I would imagine if the state of the top is anything to go by its going to be a dirty job."

"Yes, I had a think about that, I thought the front office. I'll own up to hoping you would have time to stop and open it here and so I have put a sheet down ready, I think I've cleared a big enough space so we can look at this in some sort of comfort."

The others were content with Nikki's decision, in all honesty none of them really wanted to keep too much from Val. With no more preamble Sean and Nikki volunteered to carry the trunk down the stairs and into the small square room that Dennis and Val used as an office, it was situated to the front of the house, just off the larger hallway.

#

Pretty soon they were all seated in various types of armchairs, except for Nikki who was perched on the arm of the chair her Mother was sitting in. The trunk was in the middle of the room sat on a dustsheet.

"I wonder if we will find anything new," Val looked nervous as she spoke. "Strangely, now we have the trunk here, I feel quite apprehensive about what we might find. I had always thought that a family's history is such a special thing and something to be treasured. We've always been lucky and had a genuine close knit family, but I can't help and wonder what skeletons we might discover!"

"It's very kind of you to share this with us," said Helen. "But I don't want you to feel as though we are intruding on a personal experience."

"Not at all, in fact in a way it's quite an honour to be able to share this with you. Our family's story is one that I have always been immensely proud of. You have all taken an interest so I think that's given you the right to be here."

Nikki gave her Mum a quick hug. "You always were a giving person, thanks Mum," Nikki looked down at the trunk. "So do you want to open this on your own or shall the two of us see what's hidden?"

"Oh, much more fun with the pair of us, let's just kneel down there and get dug in."

Nikki exhaled slowly in anticipation, before they both got up and knelt in front of the trunk. It was held shut by three clasps, two smaller ones towards the outer ends and one bigger one in the middle. Nikki was nearer the left hand lock and so undid that while her Mother undid the central and right hand clasps. The both grasped the front of the lid and lifted it open, the inside was fairly plain, painted the same colour as the outside of the trunk, but without the rust.

Stuck to the inside of the lid was a piece of paper. It looked like some kind of coat of arms had been drawn on it. The picture depicted a bright star, fronted by a round shield, the light from the star glowing behind it. Underneath was a picture of the earth with the shadow of the shield reflected on the earth's surface. Beneath that a phrase had been written. _Protect us our redeemer._

"Well, that corresponds," Nikki muttered unheard by all except her Mother who didn't say anything but gave her daughter a brief, odd look.

#

Inside the main body of the trunk, an old book sat as well as what looked like three sets of hand-drawn maps and a robe of some sort. It was difficult to see it all in any detail while it was still confined in the space of the trunk.

"Nikki. Books are your department my dear." Val broke the silence that had fallen.

Helen found she jumped at the sound of Val's voice.

Val carried on talking. "Go on, you have first honour."

Not quite able to contain her excitement Nikki wasted no time, carefully she removed the book. It looked in good condition. No damp appeared to have affected it while it had been in storage. With care she opened the pages, small neat rows of handwriting filled the pages, and as soon as she scanned the first words Nikki knew this would help them,

It read, _'I hope that this is a close and accurate record of Carod and Anharad, read this if you wish. It will find its righteous path as this story has done for thousands of years.'_

Nikki tore her eyes away from the script. Her Mother had removed the maps from the trunk and handed them to Sean and Helen. Both looked in awe at what they had been given. Then Val turned her attention to the robe. It was a beautifully crafted piece. A fine woollen material, plain grey in colour but it took up an immense amount of room in the trunk. With care Val removed it, and she stood up, allowing it to open out. It looked immaculate. There was hardly even a crease in the material.

Val turned to Trish. "Here, you take this. You know how to handle these things better than me. I'm feeling so nervous anyway I don't want to cause any damage."

"It would be an honour," the wonder in Trish's face matched everybody else's. "I don't think any of us were expecting such a wealth of information, this is wonderful."

Val still looked slightly stunned at the quality of the items they had found. "You know, it's funny, even though I had this here all this time I never imagined my Grandmother had put so much into the trunk. It's extraordinary."

#

Having seen everything they had found Nikki knew that they were on the right track, but there were still questions she wanted to ask, she hoped her Mother wouldn't mind answering them.

"Mum, how come you knew so little of this?"

"Simple," Val answered sadly. "It scared my Mother, your Grandmother, but short of disowning the family there was no way she could stop me from hearing the story from my Granny, but Mother would certainly never volunteer information and would often break visits to Granny short if she felt too much was being said."

"So do you think that is why you were left all of this?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it, the story had never been written down until that point, there had never been any need, but why else write it down if not to try and make sure it didn't get lost and forgotten about."

"Well, it's the basic story we have come here to find, let's see what was written." Nikki said positively. "Is everybody happy if I just read it out loud?"

The rest of the group agreed that was what she should do, and so with a mixture of excitement and apprehension Nikki started to turn the pages.

#

The story that emerged turned out to be an almost exact replica of the vision that Nikki had witnessed the day before. However there were a few more pieces of information that seemed to relate to the maps and the robe. The maps marked areas that were important to the family, why they were important wasn't entirely clear, clues seemed to have been left indicating they would need to find these places to get further answers. The writing about the robe proved fascinating, Nikki's Great Grandmother wrote that it was believed that this robe originally belonged to either Carod or Anharad. Improbable though that sounded because of the ages involved, everybody, without knowing why, felt it was right.

After Nikki finished narrating the story she looked around at the group before her gaze settled on her Mother. "Mum, there's something you should be aware of. Some scrolls were found by Helen and Sean, because I'm an archivist they brought them to me, I don't know the whys and the wherefores but they back this story up, and the four of us have broken so many rules and regulations to keep the find as quiet as possible. Why we have put our heads on the block like that none of us know, but somehow we just knew that it was important that the documents stayed with us at all costs. Reading this, I feel justified in those decisions but it looks like more is to be found."

"Yes, the sword and the shield," Val amazed everybody with the bluntness of the statement and when she looked at her daughter Nikki could see a mixture of tears and pride in her Mothers eyes. "The one part of the story Granny didn't need to write down. If my Mother knew I had been told this I dread to think how she would have reacted. I promised Granny I would pass this on to you when the time was right. That time is now. If you have found the scrolls then you all, that is the four of you, have a destiny to fulfil. There is however a piece to this story that I cannot help you with, there is one missing robe. How or why this was lost nobody seemed to know, but it is important that you find the other robe. It is the twin to the one we have got. Granny said that to find the robe was the key to the whole thing."

#

Nikki looked dumbstruck at her Mothers revelations, indeed Helen, Sean and Trish were also having some difficulty in coming to terms at what they had heard.

Sean was the first to speak. "Val, you sound convinced the rest of us are involved as well, but why do you think that, and how are we involved?"

"Others were present the night Carod and Anharad met. It was promised that their kin would aid our descendants."

"But I'm from Scotland," burst out Helen. "How does that fit?"

"I can only guess that an ancestor moved up there at some point, but I'm convinced your family are part of that group otherwise you wouldn't be here. If you can find the sword, shield and robe and use those with the knowledge of the scrolls and the information hidden in the maps you will all know what to do."

"Somehow I believe you," Trish said. "Other evidence backs up what you are saying, look at the jobs we do for a start, all perfect to help in any search, manuscripts for Nikki, Helen and Sean for looking at historical sites and I have knowledge in handling any practical objects we might come across."

"Trish is right," Val agreed with certainty. "Those scrolls need to be read and if you work out the maps they should, between them, lead you to the other objects. This is meant to happen."

#

The enormity of it all slowly started to sink in to the group as they absorbed what had been said and its implications. Taking advantage of the silence Val carefully went around them all and retrieved the objects they were holding and gently restored them to the trunk.

Once she had done that she turned to Nikki. "I take it you didn't bring the scrolls with you?" She asked.

"No, we left them at Helen's," Nikki sounded quiet when she replied. "We weren't sure what was going to happen or how much you knew so we decided to leave them there."

"Nikki, I don't understand it fully," said Val with a sigh, placing a hand on her daughters shoulder as she spoke. "But I do know that whatever transpires it is going to be important and not just for this family. You need to go back and read the scrolls properly and along with the maps try and work out what you must do. I just wish I could help you more."

"I'm not sure I want to do this without you though Mum, why can't you join us in this hunt? Surely you want to know what it's all about."

Val smiled softly, "No, I can't join you, this quest is yours, for whatever reason I have not been chosen to carry this task out, you have. Look I can't help you further on this but what I can say on a mundane and everyday subject is will you all stay for lunch?"

Nikki looked questioningly at the others, nobody objected and in truth they all looked relieved about having some time to process the whole thing

#

While Val, Helen and Trish made their way back to the kitchen, Sean and Nikki decided to put the trunk into the boot of the car, it didn't take them long to carry it out and they found it fitted into the boot of the Renault perfectly. Returning inside they found Val had already put the kettle on the AGA and she was busy getting food out of the fridge and pantry. It was a simple but filling meal of fresh baked bread, cheese with salad followed by fruit. Once they finished eating and had a drink it was decided not to stay long, they were all keen to get back and see what else could be achieved in the time left to them that day.

The return journey to Helen's was quite quick, luckily the traffic was quiet which made the journey a lot easier. Reaching Helen's house Sean and Nikki once again took on the job of unloaded the trunk and placed it in the sitting room. Helen and Trish made their way into the kitchen and made a pot of tea for everybody. The other two soon joined them, Trish and Sean elected to sit at the kitchen table while Nikki and Helen stood leaning up against the work surfaces. Strangely everybody felt at peace. Val had used the word quest and this indeed was what they all now felt they were on.

#

Nikki wanted to look at the maps first and decided to talk quietly to Helen about it.

"Do you think those maps will be useful?"

Helen paused while she considered her answer. "I do actually, and I would guess that they are going to be local to this area, everything else so far has been and I see little reason why that should suddenly change now. If we can work out which area they relate too we shouldn't have too much trouble reading them. They seem fairly basic hand drawn maps."

Nikki thought about what Helen had said before nodding her head in agreement. "I wonder if Great Granny put them in any particular order that we are supposed to follow."

"There were numbers on the one I looked at. I'm not sure about Sean's though?" Helen raised her voice slightly so Sean could hear her. "Did your map have any numbers on Sean?"

"Yes it did, I assumed looking at them they would be basic grid references of some sort, but I must confess I didn't look at them that closely, we could look at them now though?"

"That's what I wanted to do to be honest," Nikki said.

"I'll go and get them," Helen volunteered.

#

Helen went into the sitting room to retrieve the maps Nikki went and joined Sean and Trish sitting at the kitchen table.

Helen came back quickly and also sat down. As soon as she had settled Nikki spoke to Sean and Trish. "I'm not sure how I would have coped if it hadn't been for you guys." She turned her attention to Helen. "And I know I've only know you a couple of days, but your presence has meant a huge amount to me," she took a deep breath. "But please, none of you feel obliged to stay with me on this."

Before she could carry on Trish interrupted. "I'll stop you right there buster, I for one don't feel obliged, some how it feels right, like I belong here. Making a small difference or a large one I don't know, but here I am and here I intend to stay, that's what friends are for."

"Agreed, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Helen echoed Trish's sentiments.

"Ditto," Sean gave her that wide open smile of his. "You don't get rid of me that easily, I'm like the rash that keeps coming back that you just have to keep on scratching!"

They all laughed. "Beautifully put as always Sean," Nikki said, her eyes moistened with the affection she felt towards these people. "Thank you." She looked relieved, Nikki didn't want to admit it but part of her had been scared that the others would want to pull out, and they had every right to do so. But they had chosen to stick with her and be a part of whatever lay ahead. The road suddenly looked a lot less rocky now she had her friends behind her.

#

Nikki reached out to pick up the maps in trepidation at what she might see. It seemed very strange to be looking at something her Great Grandmother had written all those years ago, and yet they related to an event thousands of years ago which she had witnessed only yesterday. The paper that her Great Grandmother had used was now slightly ragged and torn at the edges, the colour had faded to a dull yellow but the ink was still clearly legible. Each page measured about 6 inches wide by 10 inches long. The main drawings themselves took up about three quarters of each page. The remaining space had been filled with writing and numbers.

Carefully Nikki spread the maps out on the table so they could be clearly seen by all three of them. The first thing that struck her was they didn't seem to match up in any way to make a bigger map, so that seemed to indicate they were looking at three distinctly different places. As soon as Nikki read the first few words on the maps she knew they were moving forward in the search. Each map had TG written into a corner, similar to the scrolls. The chances of that being used in code form twice on different documents without being connected in some way were, in Nikki's mind, virtually nil.

Gently Nikki picked up the maps that were numbered two and three and carefully put them to one side. Nobody queried why she did that, so she assumed they had all seen the numbers and come to the same conclusion that she had. She picked up the first map to get a closer look. The first thing she noticed was that it showed a cross, but it seemed to be inverted. Next to that there was what looked like a stream and further along at the back of the cross there seemed to be buildings marked. Possible houses came to mind. Roads also appeared to be drawn in, as were paths leading from the cross, the main one appeared to lead past what looked like a tree, towards the buildings. There was no clear indication as to the scale of the drawings. The writing underneath was clear and very neatly written, a small close script written in black ink. It simply read,

_'The first crown shall be worn, a rosary given, look forwards it is yours to see. Hope is a part.'_

Underneath that, the numbers that were there totalled six in all. Once Nikki was sure she hadn't missed anything she slightly handed the document to Helen, who was sitting next to her right arm. Sensing that Nikki wanted time to think Helen said nothing as she studied the map and then passed it on to Trish who did the same.

Once Sean had chance to study it all Nikki finally spoke. "I think we should make a start on what the numbers relate too, I think Sean was right and they could be map references, the trouble is of course, without knowing which maps they relate to we are no further forward."

"I would assume that it would be fairly local," Sean speculated.

"Yes, so are there any other clues on the map itself?" Trish looked sideways at the map before she carried on. "Could the cross mark a church, graveyard or another religious site?"

"It's quite possible," answered Helen. "A cross it used to mark such things on an ordinary map."

"But why an inverted cross," Nikki looked and sounded puzzled. "Surely that's a sign of devil worship?"

"Most people tend to think that these days," Helen agreed. "But it's one of those symbols that got corrupted over the years. The best known corrupted symbol is the swastika."

Nikki looked impressed at Helen's knowledge. "I'm intrigued, so what does an inverted cross symbolise?"

"It was and still is the cross of St Peter. He was crucified upside down. If my memory serves me correctly he asked to be crucified that way, apparently he didn't feel worthy enough to be crucified on the same level as Jesus. St Peter was also considered to be the first Pope. "

"If that's the case then it does sound like it's a church," pondered Nikki. "But how are we going to know which one?"

"Doesn't it seem obvious?" Trish inquired. "If that was the cross of St Peter then any churches called St Peters in the local area would be a start."

"That's the problem though. I don't know of any churches called St Peters locally, certainly not where Great Granny came from."

"I think that we can narrow it down a bit more," Helen ventured. "With St Peter and a connection with the Pope it could relate to a Roman Catholic Church, Convent or Monastery before the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry the Eighth in the 1500's."

"So that's narrowed it down to looking for a needle in just one or two haystacks from a figure that would have started at about twenty, that's still a lot. And why does that make me feel so uncomfortable." Sean visibly squirmed in his seat as he spoke.

"Because my esteemed friend," Nikki walked over to him and put her arms around his shoulders. "If Helen doesn't mind you connecting your laptop to internet you can look up the local churches and which maps they correspond to. Then we can check the figures we have got to see if they match up with any features on the modern maps, if they do then we should have hit the mark. And if by good fortune any hit a church called St Peters then we may be cooking on gas. Even if they aren't anything to do with the Catholic faith now they might have been in the past."

Helen simply nodded. "I'm ok with that. I'll show Sean the log in details. I've got them in my front sitting room desk."

#

Helen led Sean through into the other room and another possibility struck her. While Sean got the laptop set up she thought about it and the more of a possibility it seemed, so she said to him. "Sean, do me a favour, if you don't get many results on the search under churches could you look up St Peter/St Peters as a separate place name within, say, a thirty mile radius of here."

"Yeah sure," He looked up from plugging in the electricity cable. "Any particular reason why?"

"No, just a hunch I have got, a place name could be an indication of a former religious site which may not necessarily be a church."

"Of course, it seems fairly obvious that the age of the scrolls means that we could be looking that far back. Good call Helen."

He finished the connection to his laptop. Helen went and fetched him a chair from the Kitchen. There were none in the sitting room the right height for the table he was using. When she brought the chair back through Nikki and Trish came with her, no one really wanted to too far away in case anything came up on the search.

#

Trish had been lost in thought, something had been nagging away at her, and suddenly she realized what it was. "Nikki, I remember going to church on high days and holidays, and we would meet up with your family there, now I know that St Stephens wouldn't be the place we are looking for, but if your Granny was so anti this whole business she surely would have changed churches? Could there be other parishes that your family might have gone?"

Nikki started, that was a good point and one that had completely passed her by, where would her Great Granny have worshipped? She looked at Trish, "I am just trying to think, and I think I've heard Mum talk of a place called St Mary's. The last I heard it wasn't being used as a church, they wanted to turn it into offices or something but there were legal problems. I believe its ownership is in limbo, the parish claim it was left by the old Manor Estate that built the place to them, but the church claim it was left to them and they want to sell it."

"It's a pity it wasn't called St Peters," Trish sounded disappointed. "Mind you that would have been a bit too easy."

"Just out of interest, can you remember which Diocese it is in?" Helen asked.

"No, I can't," Nikki looked at Helen grinning. "I see what you mean though, if there is a place called St Peters within the same Diocese that could be our place!"

"Well the name of the village that St Mary's was in would help?"

Nikki's grin seemed to get wider, "It's a place called Sladen."

She went to talk to Sean but he cut in, "I'm ahead of you Nikki. Looking it up now, wait a minute and hopefully we might have a result."

For several seconds all they could hear was Sean tapping on the keyboard. Suddenly it went quiet as he finished. The results seemed to take forever to load. Nikki found herself picking at a loose piece of skin by her right index finger, Trish almost looked sick with the expectation. Sean was staring hard at the laptops screen almost willing the results to arrive faster. Helen was the only one who seemed calm. Nikki found herself drawn to that calming and quieting strength, it was so tangible Nikki felt she could almost reach out and touch it, and she forced herself to relax, drawing on the peace radiating from Helen.

Sean suddenly cried out making everybody jump. "Yes," he exclaimed. "Looks like we might be in luck." As he read along the information from the screen Nikki felt her hopes rising. "St Mary's, parish of Sladen. Diocese of Devises. Damm, that's all we have got on that one, let's see what the others have produced." He muttered under his breath as he scrolled back to look at the next listing. The solemn look on his face suddenly changed, he glanced up at the screen grinning widely. "I think we have found it, X marks the spot!"

#

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	9. Chapter 9

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Nine.

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Sean turned back to the laptop to read out loud. "It says here, St Mary's was originally part of a convent which was next door to a monastery, yep and your starter for ten is the name of the monastery, you guessed correctly, it was St Peters. It seems it was one of the monasteries that didn't survive Henry the eighth. Rumour has it that a lot of the precious artefacts from St Peters were hidden inside St Mary's although nobody has ever confirmed this. The monastery sat inside what is now the boundary of St Mary's. We could go and look at it now if you want? I have the full address."

The other three felt a mixture of emotions. They could hardly believe their luck at finding what appeared to be the right place so quickly. Once again Nikki took the initiative, she went over to her Great Grandmothers maps and made a note of the six figures that were on the bottom of the first map, she then spread out a modern map that Helen had found in a cupboard. It was one of the districts where St Mary's sat.

Sean closed the laptop and all four of them gathered around the table as Nikki marked out a line with her finger until she reached a spot on the map she was happy with. She then traced another line with her other hand to join up with the first spot. Everybody strained closer almost as if they were expecting the church to physically jump up out of the map at them.

#

Sure enough, marked with a cross was a church and the ground that surrounded it was large, in fact a lot bigger than they would have normally expected. Certainly the area was large enough to accommodate a monastery, although there was no indication of such a structure on the map.

Nikki looked at the others before she spoke. "Well, there's our target," she checked her watch. "The time is two thirty. I would think looking at that it would take us about thirty minutes to get there by car. Do we go now or leave it until the morning?"

"I vote we go now," Helen didn't hesitate. "I don't have my printer set up so I would also recommend that we stop on the way somewhere to photocopy all the maps and documents we have, then we don't have to handle the originals anymore than necessary which could save them from damage."

"A good idea, I think the shop at the Moors do photocopies and that would be on our way," Sean informed them. "I'm with Helen. I'd also like to vote we go now."

"Me too," said Trish, "and if Helens got a camera we might get chance to take any photos that might help. That way we can all have copies of the papers and photos to study in our own time tonight."

Helen laughed. "Don't worry. I've got a camera, as Sean will tell you an archaeologist wouldn't be seen dead with out one where old buildings are concerned."

#

"That's settled then." Nikki folded up the map, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Time to pile into the car."

"Just one thing before we do go," Sean said. "If we need to get inside the church, and the chances are it will be locked as so many of them are what the cover story to try and gain entry?"

"Keep it simple and close to the truth, say we are archaeologists on a history study." Helen suggested. "That's if we can track down who has got the keys at the moment."

"Although the ownership is disputed currently I think the local parish council still have the keys," Nikki closed her eyes dragging up the article she had read from her memory. "I'm pretty sure that is part of the legal fight. The church lost the court case it took out against the parish to try and get the keys handed over to them while the dispute is going on, the church say its not a church any more but the parish council disagree. I think they even claim they still have a viable congregation that worships there."

"So will they be willing to let us in then?" Trish was a bit concerned that the visit might be in vain. "I hope they don't think that we are there to try and trick them out of the keys on behalf of the church."

"There is only one way to find out," said Nikki decisively. "Let's go."

#

Around forty minutes later they found themselves standing outside the church of St Mary's, they had managed to stop and photocopy the papers so each of them had a copy to study. Although the side of the church stood quite close to the road, what struck them was all the land it sat in. It was easy to see why developers wanted to get hold of it. It had to be worth a lot of money.

The church itself was small, stone built, oblong with a small, open-ended porch on the eastern end. It hardly stood out in the surrounding countryside. If you weren't looking for it you could easily drive past without every realizing there was a church there. A wide verge had allowed them to park the car right next to the gate. The path that led up from the simple wooden entrance was paved in local stone, quite worn from many years of use. That path then led up to the porch before carrying on snaking its way to totally encompass the church, other paths paved with gravel occasionally shot off from that, winding their way through some gravestones and the surrounding land. A stream could be heard bubbling away in the distance, running along the bottom edge of the boundary hedge, roughly where Nikki's Great Grandmother had marked it on the map.

In the distance a large yew tree could be made out towards the back boundary. Indeed it was the main feature of that part of the landscape. The grass was well maintained, neatly mown and edges tidy. It looked the picture postcard village church in the autumn sun.

Once they made their way through the gate they headed up towards the Porch, Helen has suggested that they look out for a notice board, hoping that would have all the parish details on it. She had assumed that it would almost certainly be inside the porch as it wasn't by the main gate, that way it would be sheltered from the worst of the weather. Sure enough as they reached the porch they could see the notices pinned up. Helen went forward to read them. Most of what was there was of ordinary parish club details, however tucked away in a corner there was an A4 sheet that gave Helen the information she was looking for.

She read the details aloud, _"The parish council is in legal contest with the church over ownership of this church and its lands, therefore we refuse to submit any keys to the church until such time we deem fit, or until ordered to do so by a court of law. We intend to carry on in as normal manner as possible. Services will be conducted as advertised. However, a retired priest and not the resident parish priest are currently taking services due to the dispute. Any queries regarding the building should be addressed to Mr Matthew Lee, 1 St Peters Row, Sladen. SB5 OJW. Telephone Number - SLADEN: 415315. Parish council meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month."_

"Well, what do you make of that?" Sean snorted. "They're certainly not hiding under any bushel as far as this dispute goes, but I tell you what, it certainly looks as if we are in the right place. Not that any of us had any real doubt. I'll bet any money that St Peters Row backed onto the land as drawn on Nikki's maps. That would be beyond the Yew tree."

"I agree," Helen spun around slowly and pointed. "I wouldn't mind guessing that if we went up that wee path we will be able to see the backs of those houses somewhere."

"Are we going to stick to the history story when we get there?" asked Trish.

"I would think so," Nikki replied, "but I think it might be an idea to play that one by ear. It might deflect attention from us if Helen is the one who talks to him, her Scottish accent might make him think that we're not local."

"Good idea," Helen was impressed. "If we feel the need to change the story at all that is the one thing that we could keep. Whatever story we go with, I will say that we are a group of friends on holiday. I like the idea of a bit of distance between us and local connections."

"Let's see what we can get done." Sean started to make his way across the path towards the Yew tree as he spoke.

#

The sun was still warm as they made their way along the path. Quiet fell except for the crunch of the gravel under their feet. Suddenly the peace was shattered by the sound of a mobile phone ringing which caused them all to jump. As they came to a stop opposite the Yew tree Helen realized that it was her phone that was ringing, with an apologetic gesture to the others she reached into her trouser pocket, she was puzzled. Who could be phoning her at that time of day? With a jolt Helen saw that Thomas's Mobile number was being flashed up on the screen, for a spilt second she almost turned the phone off on him but hit the receive incoming call button instead.

Sean, Trish and Nikki must have realized that she would want a bit of privacy as they had all made their way over to the tree. A bench had been place around the base of its trunk, creating a lovely shaded area against the heat of the autumn sun, so they sat down there to wait.

#

Helen answered her phone hesitantly. "Hello." She found herself wondering how she would react to hearing Thomas's voice after all this time. Certainly only a couple of days ago she would have ended up an emotional wreck, as Thomas spoke, his deep, rich tones caused her to close her eyes expecting heartache and pain, but she was pleased to discover that the aching longing she was dreading didn't happen.

"Hello Helen, I know that this will be unexpected."

"That's alright," Helen couldn't get over how calm she was feeling. "What can I do for you? I must admit I am a bit curious about why you have phoned."

"I'm not surprised," relief could be heard in Thomas's voice, it sounded as though he had been expecting her to break down in some way. "I don't want to upset you by asking this, and its really cheeky of me considering our history, I'm at a conference at Salisbury and the hotel double booked, I wondered if I could scrounge a spare bed for the night?"

Helen was totally taken aback. That had been the last thing she expected him to say. She took a few seconds to think about his request, almost waiting for the despair to arrive, and was glad when it didn't. "Ok, but I have some friends from work staying; we're involved on a project which means that it could be a late night for us. It's going to be easier for them to stay the night as well. I suspect I'll have to leave you to your own devices during the evening."

Thomas seemed happy so Helen had given him instructions on how to drive to her house and the conversation soon came to an end. She spent a few minutes looking at the phone once the call had been terminated. Mentally shaking herself she went and joined the others sitting at the base of the Yew tree, she was amazed at how peaceful she felt when she got there. Hoping the others wouldn't mind Helen explained Thomas would be staying the night before she calmly poured the whole story of her and Thomas out to them. Nobody said anything, there wasn't any need. Helen hadn't been looking for sympathy with the story but had just wanted to fill in the background for them before they all met.

#

Compassion showed on Nikki's face and she was the first to make a move, she took Helen's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, you need to focus on other things, lets see what Mr Lee has to say."

Helen was grateful to Nikki and once again marvelled how at ease she always made her feel, squeezing Nikki's hand in thanks before they got going again Helen now knew what Thomas had meant when he said a part of her missing, she didn't understand it fully but somehow she knew it was linked heavily to Nikki and this quest. And that was a thought that truly comforted her.

#

Just as they were leaving Nikki and Helen found themselves reaching out and touching the tree trunk, Sean and Trish looked on, surprised by the united unspoken gesture.

"Erm, you two are getting a bit spooky now," Sean commentated, he gestured between them. "What's with the telepathy bit?"

"I don't know. I didn't even realize that it had happened," Nikki looked gently at Helen. "I felt drawn to the tree for some reason."

"Me too, I just assumed it was because it was marked on the map," Helen looked at Sean and Trish. "You two haven't felt anything a bit different around here?"

"No," Trish sounded suspicious, not sure exactly what Helen was talking about. "What do you mean different?"

"Just," Helen paused, searching for the right words. "It's as if you have a sense of peace and tranquillity that surrounds this place."

"No," Trish was definite with her reply. "At least no more than I always get when I visit a church, it looks like you and Nikki are on your own there, I wouldn't mind betting that's going to have some significance in the future."

"Well," Sean said. "Whatever it is, a serene look crossed both your faces at the same time, which was a bit scary. I thought for a moment you were going to have a joint vision, it reminded me a bit of the look on Nikki's face when she looked at the scrolls."

"Then we must be on the right track." Nikki said. "I can't explain it any better than Helen though, so let's carry on."

#

It didn't take them long to make the walk from the Yew tree to the back wall of the church grounds. A kissing gate led out onto a narrow lane, three large detached houses stood a couple of hundred yards to the right from where they emerged, and the lane was a dead end, ending right next to the last house.

Number 1 turned out to be the house furthest away from them. All three properties seemed to be identical, late Edwardian with bay windows to the front and a large entrance. Each house had a semi circular driveway all of which had been gravelled in the same type of stone that had been used in the churchyard. Stonewalls enclosed the front gardens and driveways creating a certain amount of privacy from the road and the house next door. Helen couldn't help wondering if the number of houses was significant in any way, three being the number used so often in religion, stemming from the holy trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

As they made their way quietly up the road, Helen noticed a car was parked outside Number 1. Niggling away at her was a feeling that she had seen the car somewhere recently, but she couldn't quite place where, when, suddenly Sean, Trish and Nikki all swore under their breath within seconds of each other, providing Helen with the answer she was looking for.

Nikki was the closest to her, so she caught what she said the clearest. "Christ, that's Fenner's car." They all ground to a halt. Nikki carried on talking. "What the bloody hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know," Trish almost spat the words out. "But I for one don't want to meet him."

Sean pointed to a large box hedge that was on the opposite side of the road, "I say we lurk behind there for a while, if Fenner comes out we carry on, but if he's there for a while we can make a decision about coming back to see Mr Lee without being seen."

The three women nodded their approval at Sean's suggestion. Helen hoped that Jim Fenner wasn't there because of the scrolls. She instantly dismissed the idea as nonsense. Fenner had no way of knowing where the scrolls had led them. She decided that she was just being too jumpy over the whole thing. As they went around the back of the hedge a bit of luck greeted them, several piles of logs were stacked up, allowing them all to sit down in relative comfort.

#

For thirty minutes they sat in a comfortable silence, there seemed little point in talking just for the sake of it. Just as they were beginning to wonder about how long they would have to wait they heard a door on the house open and the sound of voices emerging, getting louder as they approached the car. Jim Fenner's voice could be clearly heard, loud, domineering and easily penetrating the autumn air. Another mans voice responded to Fenner's, much softer and quieter. Helen assumed that it was Mr Lee's. To her surprise she suddenly heard a woman's voice which she recognised herself, it was sharp and harsh to listen to, and before she could say anything she heard Nikki say softly. "What the hell, Bodybag?"

Helen had only met Sylvia Hollamby once, just before she went off in charge of the dig at Fens Farm, and Helen had never heard her called anything other than Bodybag when Sylvia wasn't around.

Nobody seemed to like her much in the department and having met her Helen could see why, and she certainly had a voice that you didn't forget in a hurry. From the gossip Helen knew that she had been married once but was now hooked up with Jim Fenner, many agreeing that it was a match made in heaven, or as one person had put it, in hell.

Without realizing it the four of them had got up from where they were sitting and had moved nearer the hedge in an effort to hear more clearly what was being said. Luckily both Jim Fenner's and Sylvia Hollamby's voice's carried and could be heard without having to strain hearing.

Jim Fenner was being his most ingratiating. "Thank you for your precious time Mr Lee," he purred. "And once again I must stress that this is purely an unofficial visit, I am just here helping a friend. However I would hate to become involved in my capacity as a police office. I am sure you can see the benefits to all involved if the status quo stays that way. If you do hear anything, please do not hesitate to get in touch, here is my card."

"Yes," Sylvia Hollamby's voice resounded almost as smoothly as Jim Fenner's. "I hope that you can see our position, and of course my family have held this church dear for so many years, it would such a shame if that was ruined on a whim!"

Deciding that what both Fenner and Bodybag had said sounded like a threat. Helen thought fast but could not come up with any idea about why that would be levelled at Mr Lee. The pair of them had obviously been getting into the car as they had been speaking because any reply that Mr Lee may have given was drowned out by the sound of an engine being started up. Almost immediately the car could be heard being driven away.

Suddenly Helen heard another mans voice, it seemed Mr Lee was venting his feeling out loud. "Moron's. Why do that bloody woman and her family think they own this church? They certainly won't be hearing from me."

Footsteps were heard on the gravel as the man walked away from them back up the driveway towards the house.

#

Helen felt an unexpected release of tension in her shoulders. Somehow she felt that the quest had been in some kind danger with the discovery of those two visiting. But thankfully it sounded, despite the obvious veiled threats against him, as though Mr Lee was not going to do as they had requested.

Nikki spoke, keeping her voice low, "Well, what do you make of that?"

There was a short delay before anybody answered. Trish was the first to speak. "I'm hoping the same as everybody else and that they were not here about the scrolls."

"Yeah," Sean agreed. "It's one hell of a coincidence that they should turn up here after Fenner found the scrolls, do you think that he told Bodybag about them and she's worked out that they are important? If Bodybag's family have been involved with this church a long time they might have heard rumours or story's connected to Nikki's Great Grandmother!"

"I can't see how," reasoned Nikki. "Unless she knows the clues that we have got, then how the Hell how would they know to come here? Plus how would they know I'm directly involved." Nikki paused, "although I would be interested to know what her families name is, and whether they have been here as long as back as Great Granny, of course, Hollamby is her married name. No, I think that we may be being a bit paranoid. I think it's more likely to do with the church dispute over ownership"

"Maybe, but for some reason I get the feeling that we were all uneasy seeing them here." Helen knew that she had voiced what they had all felt. She looked across the road at the house. "So with that in mind, do we carry on and see Mr Lee about entry to the church, or do we think of something else? It does sound as though Me Lee has no great love for Sylvia Hollamby and her family."

"I say we try and see Mr Lee," said Sean. "I don't think there is any real alternative short of breaking and entering, and I would rather like to keep the criminal free life I have now."

"I'm with Sean on this," Trish's voice was firm. "I vote that we try and see Mr Lee as well."

"Alright," Nikki said. "But I think that we change our story slightly, if by any slim chance those two were here about us then they have almost certainly said that we are historians of various types. I think that Helen would be the best to speak to Mr Lee sayings she is after help with her family genealogy, that's the sort of information that they must get asked about all the time. There is no point in drawing attention to ourselves."

"So let's go." Helen could see that what Nikki had said made perfect sense.

#

Quietly they made their way from behind the hedge and across the road. As they went up the driveway and neared the house a man appeared from the side garden, he was small, greying, with round glasses and was wiping his hands on a piece of cloth, if he was surprised to see them he didn't show it. Walking towards them he just held out his hand in greeting to Helen and asked. "Hello there, can I help you at all?" It was the same voice they had heard talking to Jim Fenner and Sylvia Hollamby.

"I hope so," responded Helen shaking his hand. "We were looking for Mr Lee? He was mentioned on the church notice board."

"Ah, my sins have found me out," he chuckled pleasantly. "Pleased to meet you, please call me Matthew, I find Mr Lee far too formal for most occasions. And what can I help you with?"

'Well, here goes nothing,' thought Helen. "I'm on holiday with my friends. I was doing some family research and as I tracked a family member to St Mary's. I wondered if it was possible to look inside the church itself as I know very little about it."

"Well my dear, I see no reason to deny you your request. If you bear with me for a moment I'll go and get the keys." Matthew turned to the house, and he suddenly asked, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but which family member was it you were interested in? Only I might be able to drag out some bits that might help you out of this decrepit brain of mine, I have the useful but irritating knack of storing vast snippets of mainly useless information about the church and its congregation. Current and former."

Helen had a moment of panic. She had no idea what Nikki's Great Grandmother's name was. However Nikki covered for her beautifully, without even a pause she said in a perfectly mimicked Scottish accent. "Helen, I forgot, you gave me the notepad that you wrote it all on"

She fumbled in her jeans pockets and produced a small notebook and pen, and because Matthew still had his back to the group Nikki was able to open it up and scribble some words down unobserved before handing it to Helen. Helen gratefully received it and read what Nikki had written out loud. "Alexandra Wade, she would have been a young woman at the turn of the century, I haven't really got any more information than that unfortunately, except that she worshipped here."

Suddenly Helen realized that the surname that she had read out was the same as Nikki's. Surely that couldn't be right with the marriage name taking precedent over maiden names. While she was thinking that a part of her was processing Matthew's response to what she had told him. "Ah yes," she heard him say. "That name rings a bell for some reason, I can't quite work out why yet, but if it comes to me I'll let you know."

#

After Matthew went inside the house Helen heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks Nikki, quick thinking, I thought I was going to become unstuck there!"

"Me too, I'm just glad I had that notepad and pen in my jeans. It just goes to show how easy it is to miss details." Before Helen could ask, Nikki answered her next question. "And in case you were wondering about the Wade surname, it's always been a family tradition to keep the maiden name. I often wondered why that was, now I know," she glanced at the house, worry showing across her face. "I hope this goes alright, I really do."

#

Several minutes later Matthew was leading them back along the lane that they had walked up about an hour before. Approaching the entrance to the church grounds he started to give them a potted history of the site. A lot of it was detail that Sean had already accessed off the Internet, however as they reached the point in the path that was near the Yew tree he stopped to talk to them in a bit more detail about that part of the grounds.

"Ah, the Yew tree, many call this the tree of death because of the association with graveyards and its poisonous berries, but to others it's called the tree of life. They are often seen in religious sites, many of which predate Christianity. Churches would start on or around old pagan religious sites in many areas. This tree is thought to be hundreds and hundreds of years old. Its known to be one of the oldest in Great Britain in fact, many around here believe that it marks a pagan site because of its age."

He started to walk back towards the church. The group had felt a tingle of excitement at his words, a link to a pagan site was what they where hoping for. Helen was only half listening to what Matthew was talking about as they made their way along the path. "Often of course the Yew itself doesn't mean that there was a pagan site here, but evidence emerged a few years ago that backed that theory up, they did an archaeological dig near the stream and found several artefacts from a Roman shrine. The Romans often had their temples near water to make offerings to the gods and such like, and of course that was before Christianity arrived on these shores." He ground to a halt. "Well, here we are."

Matthew fumbled with the set of keys for a couple of minutes before he found the correct ones that opened up the two locks on the thick Oak door. "Welcome to St Mary's."

The door swung slowly open without a sound. "I'll wait outside, I'm sure you don't want me prattling on in the background, but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, you've been most kind." Helen was relieved at his offer to wait outside. That would give them more of a chance to discover anything that might help them. She led them inside and as they made their way into the church the first thing that struck her was the beautiful stained glass window behind the alter. The sun shone through creating a marvellous vista. It was a simple image of Christ, wearing a halo with his arms outstretched, and that enclosed a smaller similar image as if it was being embraced. It was not a very ornate window, but it was powerful in its effect.

While Helen and the others were admiring the inside of the church, Matthew had moved slightly away from the doorway so he couldn't be heard from the inside. Taking a mobile phone from his pocket he carefully dialled a number, the person at the other end answered quickly, Matthew didn't bother to say who it was phoning. The leader would know.

"Hello, it's happening, you're right, Alex's Great Grand daughter is here, as you thought she looks just like her, there are four of them, but the Wade woman is keeping in the background. The Scottish lass is pretending to look up family history. What do you want me to do?" He listened for a few moments before replying. "In that case I shall leave it up to you, thank you my Lord."

#

#

#


	10. Chapter 10

© 2005 revised 2011

* * *

Chapter Ten.

Unaware of the phone call that was happening outside, Nikki pulled the copy of the map from her pocket. She read the words out loud; hoping that one of them would see to what it related. "The first crown shall be worn, a rosary given, look forwards it's yours to see."

Helen stood in the main section of the church, close to the altar. Still transfixed by the image in the window, Sean and Trish had wandered off to the sides where several images were carved into stone slabs which were set into plastered walls. Similar smaller stonework, with crosses carved into them, were dotted around the whole church. Everybody was so engrossed in what they were looking at nobody really heard what Nikki said. She raised her voice. "Hey Guys!"

"Oh, what sorry," Sean was the first to react. "For a small church it is beautiful in its simplicity, I kinda got carried away there."

"Me too," Trish said. "I love those carvings of the crosses all around the place."

"Helen. What about you?" Nikki looked down the aisle towards where she was standing. "Helen?" Worried the Scottish woman wasn't answering Nikki quickly walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, it caused Helen to jump. She turned her head towards Nikki, and it radiated in a way that seemed aural in appearance. "Something strong," she shook her head as if to clear it. "Can you feel it?"

"Yes, now I'm here I can," Nikki stood at Helens side and felt a peace similar to the one she had felt outside by the Yew tree descend. The pair of them were unaware of Sean and Trish who now stood behind them, they were both concerned about Helen and Nikki, but they were also unwilling to interfere with whatever it was that was happening to them unless they thought either of them were in danger.

Helen took Nikki's hand, dreamily she said. "Look forwards it's yours to see."

Nikki smiled. "Yes the first crown, a rosary given. Simple, so simple."

They looked at each other and laughed before they separated, Helen walked along one side of the church trailing her hand against the wall. Nikki went along the other side.

Not sure what the woman were looking for Sean and Trish stole at look at each other and both faces reflected concern, but they knew they had to leave Nikki and Helen alone.

Suddenly Nikki called out from the far left back corner of the church. "Over here, I've found it."

The others rushed over, Helen reaching Nikki fractionally before the Sean and Trish. Nikki stood in front of one of the small stone crosses. Above that one of the larger stone slabs depicted a carving of Christ on the cross. Sean suddenly realized what Helen and Nikki had been talking about. "Of course," he said. "The first crown and the stations of the cross. The rosary."

"Er, would somebody mind filling me in on all these half spoken sentences that everybody keeps spouting please?" Trish asked. "I know I said we went to church when I was a child, but I was never up on my religion."

The other three smiled, Sean then explained, "Ok the first crown was the crown of thorns worn by Christ, look forward in this church and the first thing you see is the stained glass window image of Christ, but that image has got a halo not a crown of thorns so it's not the one you are looking for, however that's told you there will be another carving somewhere within the church with the image you need. To point you in the right direction even more, the reference to the Stations of the Cross is given."

He indicated at the carvings. "They are these stone crosses dotted around the church. When this was a Catholic Church people would have prayed with their Rosaries at these points, called the Stations of the Cross. So look for a carving of Christ at one of the points where you would have prayed your Rosary and you have found the right place. Now what we are looking for once we get here I have no idea, and I am rather hoping that our two freaky telepaths will have the answer to that question."

"I think I can reply to that," Nikki pointed downward. "There is an inscription under the image of Christ, with a small arrow pointing at the floor."

"Oh no," Sean backed off. "I may be an archaeologist but I draw the line at robbing graves."

"Don't worry. I don't think it's that," Helen laughed as she knelt down on the stone floor. "It looks like there is a metal grate from an old drainage system in here."

Nikki joined her and between the two of them they managed to lift a section of the cast iron grating. "I'll go and keep watch," Trish offered, making her way back to the door. "We don't want Matthew Lee walking in on us."

"Good idea, I'll stand it the line of vision as well, just in case." Sean went and stood to hide the other two from the doorway.

Helen removed a small torch from her jacket pocket and shone the light into the hole.  
They weren't able to see anything unusual and disappointment etched its self onto their faces, but as Helen went to remove the torch from the hole Nikki suddenly grabbed her hand stopping her.

"Wait a minute. Just then I thought I saw something glint in the light." Reaching in with her other hand she felt around and found a rough edge to the otherwise smooth drainage channel, suddenly the piece came away in her hand.

With care she removed the object from its hiding place. She heard Helen draw in her breath in amazement before she spoke. "The swords."

Nikki could now see what Helen was referring to. They were short swords, approximately two foot in length, with a simple metal handle. Remarkably both were quite clean considering where they had been hidden. Only a small area around the scabbard on one of the swords shone in the light, it must have been that which caught Nikki's eye, the rest was a dull metal. Helen and Nikki looked at each other, they were both grinning.

"These must be swords that your Mother was on about." Helen carefully put the grating back into place."

"Yep," Nikki stood up and cautiously held one of the swords out in front of her. "I would guess that the shield is marked on the other map."

"Um, there certainly wasn't enough room for that as well down there," Helen reached over and ran her hand along the other swords scabbard. "Do you think that we can sneak this past Matthew Lee?"

"Sean's got his long coat with him, I reckon these will fit inside that, and so long as we shield him a bit when we leave then yeah, I think we'll get away with it."

"Alright, while you hide them I'll take some photos of the inside of the church, it won't do any harm to have that on record in case we need a future reference."

"Good idea," Nikki hesitated, unsure how to thank Helen for all her help. Suddenly she impulsively leaned forward and kissed Helen on the cheek. As soon as she did that her head flew back and she was apologising. "Oh god, sorry, that must have seemed like one hell of an invasion of your privacy. It was just to say thank you, and as a tactile person I sometimes forget myself."

Helen found she was amused by Nikki's reaction. Strangely she hadn't found it offensive at all. Normally people invading her personal space with that sort of gesture would have made her feel uncomfortable.

Reassuringly she placed a hand on Nikki's arm. "It's alright," humour shone in her eyes. "Honestly, it's nice to be considered one of the gang, so before you get yourself flustered anymore lets be away back home. I'll concentrate on photographing all the inscriptions and carvings in case we have missed anything, then we can go."

Nikki seemed to sag in relief at Helens words. "Ok I'll go and collar Sean." Not trusting herself to make an even bigger fool of herself, she decided to not say any more.

Just over five minutes later they had all gathered by the church door. The swords had been well hidden in Sean's coat. Everybody had given the interior a quick scan just to make sure there was nothing they had obviously missed. Having satisfied themselves that no more was to be gained by staying they filed outside, squinting in the early evening sunshine. Matthew Lee was standing a short distance away from the door on the path that would lead them back to the car. When he spotted them he waved pleasantly before he joined them.

"Found anything of interest?" He asked cheerfully.

"Aye, I loved that stained glass window by the altar. It's simple but so effective. I can see why anybody would want to worship here." Helen knew that her genuine enthusiasm for the place was showing for which she was grateful. She would have hated lying to any church official more than was necessary. Deciding to cover herself a bit more she added. "If I get chance later on during the weekend I might just come and have a wander around the churchyard itself if that's all right with you. You never know I might find the grave of a long lost ancestor."

"That's fine. I should be around all weekend if you need the key again. Well if there is nothing more, I shall say goodbye and go and lock up now, are you alright making your own way out?"

"Yes and thanks again for all your help." Helen said as the others shook Matthew Lee's hand saying their goodbyes.

"A pleasure, Oh, I nearly forgot," Matthew turned back to Helen. "Alex Wade, I knew that name would trigger a memory eventually. She paid to have the first bench placed under the Yew tree. Of course it's been updated a bit since then so I don't think much of the original survives."

"Really, that is interesting." Helen stole a look at Nikki as she extended her hand to say goodbye. "You never know if I get chance to come back at the weekend I may take a closer look, and we might just meet again."

"Indeed," Matthew shook Helens hand. "Well, goodbye then."

The moment Matthew turned to lock the doors Sean heaved a sigh of relief and headed off down the path as fast as he could without it looking suspicious. With their precious cargo under his coat he didn't want to be hanging about. Reaching the car Sean opened the boot and hurriedly put the swords inside. The others were quite a bit slower than him in reaching the car, and they couldn't help but laugh at the look of relief on his face and the comically exaggerated way he was leaning up against the car. "It's all very well for you to laugh, but I can't wait to get home." Sean let them have their gentle chiding.

Unknown to them, Matthew Lee watched as they drove off, he was smiling to himself because he knew how much the four of them would be kept under scrutiny for the next couple of days. The leader had made it clear how close he was able to get.

On their way back to Helen's they decided to stop and get an Indian takeaway. Sean knew of this wonderful little place that cooked everything fresh, and he phoned ahead to place the order, which saved them a bit of time. He assured them it was well worth the extra wait and judging by the delicious smells that invaded the car and the way their stomachs were rumbling nobody doubted what he said at all. When they reached Helens they quickly set up the kitchen ready to eat, and as they ate they placed the swords in the middle of the table so they could all admire them.

Pretty soon the dishes had been cleared away and they could take time to study one of the swords in more detail. Carefully Trish picked it up. Just like the scrolls it showed no signs of damage due to its age. When she removed the blade from the scabbard it shone beautifully in the light, clean and clear, almost blue on the sharpened edges they were so fine.

"One out of three," Nikki said quietly, almost in disbelief. "Talk about an emotional roller coaster, now that we are back here all the feelings and emotions I felt earlier seem unreal, but still so genuine and fulfilling."

"But what do the swords do?" Sean wondered in awe.

"I don't know," Nikki shrugged. "But whatever it is the scrolls need reading, and I think now is as good a time as any, and I don't care how much you lot object about my health, I am going to be the one to read them." Nikki was so determined that nobody even thought to argue with her.

Helen stood up. She found she was backing what Nikki said more and more. "I'll go and get them." And she disappeared to the hallway to retrieve the scrolls from the table where they had been placed earlier. Before long she was back in the kitchen and had placed them on the table next to the sword. She sat down next to Nikki, Sean and Trish sat opposite them. Taking a deep breath Nikki undid the leather thong that they had re-used to tie up the scrolls.

She started to read the first page out loud. Everybody held their breath in case there was a repeat of what had happened to Nikki yesterday, but much to everyone's relief, nothing appeared amiss.

It took about five minutes to read each sheet.

They all sat for a while, taking in what they had heard. Sean roused himself and with an effort spoke in a voice that cracked slightly with the strain of what he thought they had heard,. "Ok, short version, Earth is only one of 12 realms, The Grith providing sanctuary to those that request it and also the Guardians that guard each realm, the scrolls belong to The Grith. They seem to contain a mixture of chronicles, legends and laws. My god, it sounds like science fiction."

"This just gets weirder," Helen looked ashen. "Can you imagine the chaos this sort of thing could cause, that's if you could get anybody to take it seriously."

"Oh, somebody would take it seriously, believe me."

Nikki finally spoke almost as if she didn't trust her voice, "I wouldn't go public with this without a bloody good reason." She paused, and licked her lips nervously. "Looking at this logically we have only got a part of the story here, remember it's not all about the scrolls, we have other artefacts to find, and it looks like they hold the clue as to what we do next."

"Which I for one am eternally grateful for, I'm not sure I want to think too hard right now." Sean still looked uneasy.

"I feel completely out of my depth," Trish was having trouble coming to terms with what had transpired. "It all seems to be happening so fast and with no real idea as to where we are going it makes me very nervous."

"I know, but we have to try and answer this," Sean was quick to reassure. "I'm no happier than you. However we could find that the end goal is to just protect the artefacts."

"Sean's right, I can't demand that you stay with me on this, if you want to duck out then I won't stop you." Nikki leaned over and reassuringly took Trish's hand. "But so far we have only a fraction of the information we need."

Trish squeezed Nikki's hand in response. "I'm with you, if we didn't know what the sword, shield and robe signifies then I think I would be jumping ship, but you're right. We need to gather more information."

Nikki let go of Trish's hand and sat back in her seat.

#

Suddenly the doorbell rang, making them all jump.

"Bloody hell," Helen looked at her watch. "Is that the time? I bet that's Thomas."

"I'll gather everything up and hide it in here," Nikki volunteered.

"Thanks," Helen took a deep breath. "I hope I'm doing the right thing."

"You'll be fine."

The three of them gave Helen reassuring hugs while she straightened herself out. Giving them a nod in thanks Helen made her way out of the kitchen. When she got to the front door she was astounded by how nervous she felt. It was almost as bad as when she met Thomas for the first time.

Once she opened the door, they both stood there in silence, unsure what to say to each other. Thomas was dressed in a classic dark suit with a holdall in his hand. He cleared his throat nervously "I'm really grateful that you have done this."

Helen motioned with her hand for him to come in, stepping aside as she did so to allow him through the door. "I'm glad I was able to help," she replied truthfully.

#

As soon as Helen shut the door she led him through to the sitting room.

"You said that you had work colleagues over?" Thomas queried.

"Yes that's right," Helen said standing by the sofa. "They're in the kitchen at the moment and in case you are wondering they do know about what happened between us."

Thomas relaxed a bit when he heard that. "I hope you don't mind me saying I'm pleased that they know I wouldn't want to say something that might embarrass you."

"That's considerate of you. Sorry I have to leave you to entertain yourself. Help yourself to whatever you need, the bathroom is up the stairs and in front of you, the kitchen is on the opposite side of the hallway to the sitting room door."

"Thanks, that's really generous of you, luckily I have some paper work which needs catching up on. I shouldn't get in your way."

"Alright, would you like a drink?" Helen made her way to the doorway as she spoke.

"A tea would be lovely," Thomas undid his tie and placed his jacket over the back of the chair that was near the fireplace.

"I'll be back in a moment."

Helen soon had the kettle on and had asked the others if they wanted a drink as well, because they had all said yes, she had taken the bigger teapot from the shelf. While Helen stood by the kettle waiting for it to boil Nikki had made her way over, she placed her hand on Helens, causing her to break out of the reverie she found herself in.

Startled she looked up at Nikki's face, and saw concern etched itself in Nikki's eyes as the taller woman asked. "Are you alright? We could easily give Thomas the keys to my place and kick him over there for the duration."

That amused Helen, and Nikki was relived to see clarity in Helens eyes when she replied. "I can't quite believe it myself but I'm fine, I really am. That's a kind offer Nikki but there isn't any need, and I don't think it would be fair to turf Thomas out of the house only moments after he has arrived."

Humour sparkled in Nikki's eyes. "Some might say that would be just reward for the way he dumped you, although I agree it would be a bit mean, are you not just a little bit tempted?"

The glee that had sounded in Nikki's voice was now mirrored by Helen. "Now that's a thought, they say that revenge is a dish best served cold, and that would be served straight from the fridge, but I'd better pass this time.

Thomas heard the laughter faintly in the sitting room, unaware that it had been caused at his expense. He had been pleasantly surprised to find how well Helen had taken meeting him again, the laughter sounded louder for a short while as Helen opened the kitchen door to bring his tea through.

She placed the mug on the table at the side of the chair, "There you go. Earl grey, no milk, sugar or lemon." The echoes of the laughter still showed on Helens face as she spoke. "Once you've finished that and got settled perhaps you would like to come through and be introduced to everybody?"

"Thanks I will," Thomas dipped his head in the direction of the kitchen. "It sounds as though you all get on, I'm happy for you."

"Yes we do." Helen nodded, as she left the room she parted with a comment that would leave Thomas wondering exactly what she meant. "You never know, I might even admit you were right with what you said when you left me."

Returning to the kitchen Helen discovered the talk had got back to the scrolls. The originals were tucked away safely in a drawer, but Sean had got some of the photocopies on the table for reference. If Thomas walked in unexpectedly he would only see what looked like business papers.

Nikki had hold of one of the sheets of paper and was fiddling with it looking deep in thought. "Would it be so wacky if these were scrolls from a different dimension?" She asked aloud to nobody in particular. She kept glancing down at the piece of paper in she held in her hand. "There's so much more going on that we don't know about."

Before anybody could answer they heard Thomas making his way through from the sitting room. Moments later he arrived in the kitchen, nervously poking his around the door. "Is it alright if I join you?"

Helen gestured for him to sit at the table, as he did that she made the introductions.

With his arrival it was doubtful that anymore would get done tonight, so Trish decided to make her goodbyes. Sean made some funny remarks about her cat wanting to move home because she had seen so little of Trish the last couple of days, which gained him a playful swipe across the head by Trish as she left.

Once the blond woman had gone Helen offered the others some red wine that they all accepted. Thomas was polite and careful not to say anything that might have upset Helen. However, by the time a couple of glasses had been drunk Helen couldn't help but quiz him. Curiosity, fuelled by a little alcohol had finally won over.

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Thomas looked down into his wine glass as he answered. Not yet willing to look Helen in the eye. "Oh, the usual thing, a solicitor's get together to discuss the latest government rules on banning hunting with dogs. As I already dealt with this a fair bit up in Scotland I got asked to come and give a talk on the Scottish experiences."

"And you didn't think to get in touch?" Helen probed.

"To be honest I wasn't sure how well you would take it. You seemed pretty fragile when you left and I didn't want to upset you anymore."

Helen thought about what he had said briefly. "But you still contacted me when it suited you after the hotel got your booking wrong?" She could feel an anger rising that she hadn't felt before, and deciding that was doing her good she didn't stop it from showing. "Were you not concerned about me as much by then or were you just desperate and decided how I might feel wasn't your problem any more?"

Thomas visibly squirmed in his seat at Helens onslaught. "Ouch, I deserved that," he conceded. "Ok, I admit it, and I took a risk"

"Spoken like a true lawyer." Helen muttered under her breath but didn't stop him,

"I saw that piece on Stonehenge the other night when I first arrived in Salisbury, and I thought that you looked Ok."

"You saw that?" Helen looked surprised. "How come you didn't know about the double booking then?"

Thomas at least had the decency to look sheepish. "I did know, but I assumed that they would get it sorted out or they would get me booked into another hotel, but it seems that with the autumn solstice coming up Salisbury gets busy at this time of year. So I took the hotels offer of compensation and took a risk in phoning you."

"Oh, really rub it in now, the nerve you've got, compensation as well, I wish I had said no if only to see what you would have done."

"I would have slept in the car I guess."

"Good job for you that I agreed then!"

"Yes," said Thomas thoughtfully. "I must confess I was half expecting to be turned away, because I have to admit to seeing your Father a week ago and he didn't think that you had coped too well with the break-up."

The truth in what he had said took the sting of ire out of Helen, quietly she admitted his statement. "A week ago I wasn't coping, but what you see is what you get, and don't ask me to explain it because even if I could I don't think I would. I've got to let you stew on something."

"Touché," Thomas lifted his glass in toast. "So, let's make a toast to all square and new beginnings?"

Helen raised her own glass in acknowledgement. "Agreed, to new beginnings,"

Unnoticed by Thomas and Helen, Sean and Nikki had quietly got up and left the kitchen unwilling to eavesdrop on what was turning out to be a private matter. They had gone through to the sitting room and were discussing the day's events.

"Do you think Fenner and Bodybag were at the church today because of the scrolls?" Sean sipped on his wine.

Nikki thought about the possibilities for a while before answering him. "I can't honestly see how. Although it's a scary thought that Bodybag's family history is tied up to the place. I certainly wouldn't want her finding out about my families connections with the place."

"God, no I don't blame you." Sean looked across at his laptop that was still plugged in at the table he had used that afternoon. "Do you think Helen would resent it if I used her internet again, I'd like to try something?" He reached over to Helen's printer and realising it was the same as his he plugged it into his laptop.

"I wouldn't have thought so," Nikki looked curious as Sean got up. "Why what have you got in mind?"

Sitting down Sean grinned. "If I said 1901 would that help?"

Understanding dawned on Nikki's face. "Oh, the census," she looked puzzled again. "But how does that help us with today?"

"I'm not sure it will in any real way, but I was curious when I heard about the Bodybag link, and although we don't know what her family name is, the census should give us a list of who was living in the parish around the same time as Alex Wade." By now Sean was busy tapping on the laptops keyboard. Before long he had found the information he was looking for. "Well, well, this is interesting," He read what he had found quietly to himself for a minute.

"Come on, what is it?" Nikki asked impatiently. Keen to hear the results of the search. "I wish I had thought of this myself."

"I'll print the results off," he punched the relevant keys. "But basically it was a very small parish. Alex Wade is listed age 14, along with her Father and Mother. You've also got some Lee's mentioned. The Father of the Lee household is listed as the Verger at the church, so that appears to be a like Father like son job, other names are Waugh, Ridge, Cole, Stone and finally Marsh. So only 7 families in total, but some were large. The Ridge family alone had 10 kids!"

#

Suddenly Thomas and Helen had realized that the other two had left them. Helen laughed. "I think that we had better go and find them. Some host I am turning out to be."

"I won't say a word," Thomas got up and opened the door for her. "After you."

"Thanks."

As Helen suspected they found Sean and Nikki in the sitting room. Sean was just finishing printing something off Helen's printer which he'd obviously spent time connecting up to his system. He looked around as they entered. "Sorry, hope you don't mind, I thought I would see if I could get a bit more background information while I could."

"That's fine." Helen was curious to know what it was he had found but couldn't directly ask in front of Thomas. "I'll enjoy a bit of bedtime reading."

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	11. Chapter 11

© 2005 revised 2011

Chapter Eleven.

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Helen woke quite early the following morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. Yawning she peered through the curtains of the window to see the dawn had brought another glorious autumn day. Before long she was downstairs preparing breakfast for the others, Sean and Thomas had slept in the two spare beds while Nikki had used the sofa bed. Looking at her watch Helen decided to wake them knowing that Sean and Nikki would be as keen as her to make an early start, giving them as much chance as possible to track down where the second map referred too. Thomas had indicated last night that he didn't mind what time he was woken.

Soon Helen had three mugs of tea balanced on a tray to hand out to her bleary eyed guests. She woke Nikki first before going upstairs to wake the men. About twenty minutes later Helen sat at the kitchen table reading the morning paper when Nikki appeared. Nikki certainly looked less tired than she had done the previous morning. She smiled at Helen before helping herself to fresh coffee. She joined Helen at the table just as the door opened again and Sean and Thomas appeared. Thomas as always seemed fresh and rested. By contrast Sean looked as tousled and unkempt as he had morning before. Helen decided that must be his normal state at that time of the day. Yawning his good mornings he also went and helped himself to coffee. Helen knew that Thomas would prefer earl grey tea so she got up to turn the kettle on for him.

#

Before long the four of them were engrossed in eating cereal and toast. Once they had finished and sat with relaxing with mugs topped up with drinks of their choice Helen couldn't help speculating what Thomas had planned for the rest of the weekend. "So when do you go back?" She asked him.

"I had thought about today but I have decided to be really cheeky and ask if I can outstay my welcome for tonight at least, maybe tomorrow night as well? I would love the chance to visit Stonehenge."

"You know I half expected you to ask that," Helen slowly shook her head in disbelief at his boldness, but sounding half resigned to his request. "I don't know. I'll need a little while to think about that."

"I understand, that's natural," Thomas stood up and rinsed his mug before putting in the dishwasher. "I'll get out of your hair, I need to make a phone call and sort a few things out before I leave anyway."

#

Just after he left the room Helen looked at Sean and Nikki with a mixture of despair and compassion on her face. "Well that really complicates matters. Oh why did he have to choose this weekend? Now I don't know what to do. Part of me wants complete freedom to finish this task and find the answers we are looking for, but the other part of me is quite happy to put Thomas up for a couple of nights. Help me out here guys, after all, whatever I decide could have a direct bearing on all of you."

Sean shrugged, "I don't see a problem with inviting him to stay. So long as he doesn't want to tag onto what we are doing then it shouldn't interfere with what we plan to do." Sean turned to Nikki, "What do you think?"

Nikki looked a bit more concerned about the idea, the reason becoming clear as she spoke. "Its only the personal issues that worry me, I don't want to see you get hurt again, other than that I tend to agree with Sean, I can't think of anything else that would be relevant, other than I know Trish will feel the same way."

Helen smiled, which lit up her whole face. "Thanks, and Nikki, don't worry, I won't leave myself open to be hurt again, if you are sure then I'll invite Thomas to stay, but on the understanding he is on his own during the day and we'll be unable to show him the sights."

#

Helen went up to tell Thomas of her decision just as the doorbell rang. Nikki called up the stairs that she would answer it. As expected Trish had arrived, but unexpectedly she was clutching several reference books in her arms. Nikki raised an eyebrow in surprise and silent query, wondering what they were for.

Seeing Nikki's face all Trish would say to her was. "Wait and see, buster, I had a brainwave last night." The blond woman made her way into the kitchen with a very smug look on her face.

About twenty minutes later Helen had finally managed to get Thomas to leave the house, and he was still proclaiming his thanks at her hospitality as he was going out through the door. Eventually, relieved he was out of the way; she was able to sit down at the kitchen table with the others to get a chance to talk out loud.

She looked questioningly at Trish. "That's the look of the cat that's got the cream."

"I know," Nikki ground out. "She's been frustrated Sean and myself for the last twenty minutes refusing blankly to tell us what's she's found, she's just sat there looking like Miss Goody two shoes as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth."

"So, come on woman. Give. Or I shan't be responsible for my actions." Sean added in what he had hoped was a slightly menacing tone.

#

Trish laughed gleefully. "Ok, ok," she carried on talking in a rushed tone, the excitement obvious in her voice. "After I got home last night I couldn't settle so I started wondering about the swords and the shield and where the shield might be." Trish reached out and opened a couple of the reference books at some pages she had marked.

She handed them over to the others to read. "I couldn't remember anything about any shields in any of the local museums that might help, so I started to wonder about local myths and legends." Trish paused to soak in the dawning look of understanding that was now apparent of everybody else's faces, dramatically she carried on. "So I'm now going to gloat. I'm 99 percent sure to where the second map refers."

Sean looked up from his book and said in admiration. "Oh, clever, very clever, so what story did you find that might tie in?"

Trish leant in closer to the table so she could read the notes she had made. "Ok, the legend states that after a huge light was seen in the night sky two swords and a shield were forged like no other. They belonged to a local Chieftain for defence of his lands. It was said that while he had these objects none could defeat him. His story ends at his death, when the three were split between his sons and hidden so no one else could misuse their great power. Most stories agree and say the swords were thrown into a lake."

#

"That sounds a bit like the King Arthur legend," Sean interrupted. "Although, so far the story fits with what Nikki and her Mum have told us about Carod."

"Yes and I also think that the description of the artefacts has been embellished over the years," Trish quickly scanned the pages of one book until she found what she was looking for. "They say that the swords and the shield were covered in jewels and gold like none before, etc, etc."

"So if anybody found the real things they were likely to be discounted as not being them and not very special, in fact almost worthless. And if the swords we found yesterday are the ones in the tale that description would be true myth." Helen said.

"Exactly," Trish was beaming from ear to ear.

"But what does it say about what may have happened to the shield?" Nikki scrunched up her face in puzzlement.

"Well, that's the thing," Trish answered now sounding slightly unsure of herself. "Unlike the swords, where most scholars agree, we have the opposite here. No two stories are the same, one says that it was melted down and destroyed. Another says it was buried in the foundations of Salisbury Cathedral. The list seems almost endless."

"Damn, that doesn't help us then, but you think that you have placed the map?" Nikki asked confused.

"Ah, my crowning glory," Trish said triumphantly. "I came across several accounts of where people think the Chieftains village was."

#

Understanding dawned with the others.

"If Nikki's map corresponds with that area I think we can safely assume that the shield didn't go far." Sean looked excited at the prospect.

"So it was all a piece of ancient propaganda," Helen conceded. "Giving false information on the objects in question, then hide some away but keep the other close to home. I have to say, ingenious."

Nikki got up from the table to get both the copy of Alex's map and the modern reference map that Helen had found yesterday for them. She opened the contemporary map first and spreading it on top of the table looked at Trish. "Ok, so where do those accounts put our village?"

Trish studied the map closely and compared it to a diagram in one of the books. Then she firmly placed a finger over an area of the map. "Around here is the most popular choice."

Soon Nikki had traced out the grid reference numbers given on Alex's map. Helen got a pencil and lightly marked the place with a cross. It matched up perfectly with the area Trish had indicated. It was outside Salisbury. Not far from Stonehenge.

#

"Well no obvious landmarks to go for, according to the map its mostly wooded countryside," Sean studied the map with a clinical eye. "At least it looks as thought we can access it relatively easily, there are a lot of footpaths running around there. How about we take a look?"

"I'll all for it." Nikki gathered up the maps.

#

Before long they were out of the house and on the road. They had decided to take two cars this time so they could split up easily if they needed to. To give Sean and Trish a break from the driving, Nikki and Helen both drove, and despite the good weather they were finding the roads clear of traffic.

While the four friends had been getting in to their cars Thomas had arrived at Stonehenge and was getting out of his. He had been amazed at the scale of the site. Nothing he had seen quite prepared him for the sight of the stones rising up like they did.

Almost as soon as he had alighted from his car another man had parked right next to Thomas's car and got out. He turned to speak to Thomas, with a slight local accent that carried gently on the autumn breeze. "Magnificent isn't it?"

"Yes it is, isn't it," Thomas didn't even bother trying to hide the awe in his voice.

"Well then let me fill you in on a bit of its history. I think you will find the latest stories associated with the site of particular interest."

Before long Thomas found himself drawn in to the tales the man was telling him.

#

Meanwhile, Helen, Nikki, Sean and Trish had reached their target. They'd discovered the forestry commission ran much of the area and conveniently a picnic area with plenty of parking space was placed close to where they needed to go. Helen had brought a rucksack with her, which she had packed with the relevant maps, a torch, camera, small spade and food and drink for everybody. She had also enclosed a large blanket in case they found the shield and needed to wrap it in something. It didn't take them long to find the route that they needed to follow and they made a brisk pace along footpath, surprisingly it only took them about five minutes to reach the spot they were looking for. They were taken aback to discover that the place they wanted was a large clearing in the trees.

The rough heath land grass was cropped short. Sheep were dotted about grazing happily, unconcerned by the human invaders. The path they were on ran right through the middle of the clearing. Grass encroached the path edges, hinting that this was an area that was seldom used by the many visitors to the area each year. The air seemed to hang heavy. A few birds could be heard faintly in the distance but not a lot else stirred.

#

"Well this could be interesting," Helen consulted the Satellite Global Positioning Unit she was holding to make sure that they were in the right place. "This says we are in the correct spot, but there certainly isn't anything that looks as though it could help us, unlike last time."

Nikki removed the copy of her families map from the rucksack. "This isn't much help either," she added looking up from the piece of paper. "It is basically just showing the pathways, she hasn't really marked any land features."

"Did Alex write anything that might help us, like the last time?" Sean asked.

"Yeah, but I can't see what it relates too," Nikki sounded confused. "All she has put is _'__Use your own belief."__'_

"Och, that's not much to go on," Helen said and she looked around the landscape hoping it might help. Sometimes the ground could hold clues with bumps, hollows or lines in the grass which as an archaeologist Helen hoped she would spot. All of those things could identify possible features to aim for. Helen saw nothing. The landscape looked as though it was full of natural geographical features and nothing else. Sean had automatically done the same thing, and reached the same conclusion as Helen.

While Helen sat the rucksack down the other three wandered a bit to see if they could glean any help at all from their surroundings. Nobody went more than twenty foot away before they stopped and looked aimlessly around, each of them desperately hoping for some clue, no matter how small that might be.

Helen found she was muttering under her breath. "Use your own belief, what does that mean? Own belief," she chastised herself as she glanced around the trees that edged the cleaning. "Come on Stewart, its got to mean something. Own belief, belief as in natural surroundings, but nobody here is a bloody tree hugger, so what?"

While Helen was trying to work out the clue Nikki was struggling with her own thoughts. She'd felt certain being at the spot where Anharad and Carod lived and after the way she had felt at St Peter's, that she would get some kind of connection or feeling as well, but to her bewilderment she had so far felt nothing. If it hadn't had been for Alex's map Nikki would have been convinced that they were in the wrong place. She walked back over to where Helen was standing and despite everything was faintly amused to hear Helen quietly talking to herself. It was a habit a lot of people did, and right now it was one that Nikki found strangely comforting, with everything that was going on in this extraordinary event, normal things were still happening.

Without meaning to, Nikki overheard the final couple of sentences and couldn't help laughing out loud. Helen looked up surprised at the sound, "What caused that?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear the 'bloody tree hugger' bit. I wasn't spying."

"Oh, that's alright," although Nikki had spoken in a light tone, Helen still sounded frustrated. "I just thought that the belief bit could refer to a belief in nature or something like that."

"You may have hit on something there," Trish responded as she and Sean moved to join them.

"What do you mean?" Sean asked.

Trish looked at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me your memory is that bad, think back to the other night and the story of the water dowsing that Nikki entertained us with."

"My memory is just fine thank you. However, I still fail to see the significance to our current predicament?"

Trish's nostrils flared in mock indignation, she turned to Helen and Nikki and said in glib tones. "Why are men always so obtuse? Although it would be a travesty if Sean Parr grew up one day."

Sean put his hands on his hips in an exaggerated fashion. "I'll have you know I intend to act this age all my life, so there."

"So I noticed," was the dry reply.

#

Helen and Nikki chuckled quietly at the quiet banter that was being exchanged. It had momentarily broken the tension that had naturally built up. Soon they all brought their thoughts back to the reason why they were there, which sobered the moment.

Trish finished her original statement in much more solemn tones. "The reason I thought of Nikki's water dowsing was that some people can locate precious metals and jewels using the same techniques. I believe there are reports of some companies that used to use dowsers to locate new ores to mine. If my memory is correct some councils also used dowsers after the second world war to try and locate water, sewage, electricity and gas pipes because so many records were destroyed during the bombing raids. We know Nikki can dowse for water. If that trait is inherited from Anharad's time, maybe they buried the shield so only somebody with that sort of ability could locate it. Don't forget that metal detectors are a modern invention. And the chances of somebody stumbling across such a find using one of those is small. Hence, using your own belief would make sense. Believe in your own natural talent to find the shield."

"Good point," Sean said, although there was obvious concern in his voice at her theory. "I have one slight problem with that though. It doesn't matter whether the shield is made of metal, leather or wood. How do you think it could be protected against corrosion if it is buried?"

"That crossed my mind as well," Helen admitted. "But I still like the idea."

#

Nikki's mind was racing, could her strange gift be the answer. That was if she believed in it enough. She looked around at the brooding landscape, and deliberately took her time before she said anything. "Corrosion has to be a worry, but I feel they would have known about that so I think the shield will have a natural protection of some sort. Look at how clean the swords were when we found them. I am much more worried by something else though."

The others looked at her with query in their faces. "I am doubtful I can do this, "Nikki admitted quietly. "I can see where that own belief part comes in now, but I'm not sure I am confident enough to look for the shield."

The three of them gathered around Nikki reassuringly.

"You're only just beginning to discover your talents," Helen said gently. "But if this trait wasn't strong in your family, why would they have relied on it so much?"

"Exactly," Sean concurred positively. "You're the one who has been chosen to seek out these things.

"Alex would have complete faith in you," Trish added craftily knowing Nikki wouldn't want to let her Great Grandmother down. Helen shot Trish an admiring glance at her clever insight. As soon as she had spoken you could see a slight change in Nikki's face.

"So what do you need?" Helen asked Nikki, assured that the argument had been won.

#

Nikki weighed up what the others had said before she replied. "What I need is a bloody miracle, but if I don't give this a try then I'll never know." She looked across at the surrounding trees. "It's a good job that this is mixed native woodland rather than an evergreen pine forest. I need hazel, as we haven't got two metal rods with us. It needs to be a good strong branch, not too thick and springy with a good fork in it."

"Let's get looking." Sean bounded off into the trees to start the hunt.

The others spread out after him. Helen struck lucky first, coming across a hazel tree that hadn't been coppiced for many years, giving it lots of branches they could choose from. The others quickly joined up with her when she shouted. Sean took out a penknife and cut several suitable looking pieces from the main body of the tree. Nikki felt each one, holding at the end where the two forks were with the single branch pointing down towards the ground.

At the third try she found the one she was looking for. "This is it Sean, would you mind trimming all the twigs and leaves off for me?"

"No problem." And soon did as she'd asked. Handing her back the dowsing rod he asked. "How do you want to go about plotting the area?"

"I thought we could use the GPS system that Helen brought with her, that way we can write down any areas that I hit fairly accurately."

"A bit like a grid system that Geo Physics would use," Helen said. "That's a good idea."

#

Nikki led them back out through the forest undergrowth to where Helen had left the rucksack. After Helen removed the GPS system and gave it to Sean she took out some pencils and a notebook to record everything. Trish had taken charge of Alex's map to double check that there wasn't anything they had missed.

Looking nervous Nikki positioned herself on the left hand side of the clearing, intending to walk up and down in as straight as line as possible. Several big trees gave her good reference points to work from. Hesitantly she started to walk holding the hazel rod slightly in front of her body, almost horizontally at about waist height. Trying to force her mind to be quiet was the hardest thing to do. Nikki knew that if she thought about what she was doing too much nothing would happen, although she still needed to keep a part of her mind focused on the shield. The thing she needed to evade was hitting any sites that contained water. When Nikki was half way across the first section when she discovered a spring bubbling up from the ground, which was exactly the interference she had been hoping to avoid.

#

Sure enough it distracted her, causing the dowsing rod to quiver and twitch badly forcing the single branch to face downwards, pressing the forks she was holding so painfully into the palms of her hands, it almost made her drop the rod.

"Damn!" She exclaimed angrily. "I feel like throwing these away and giving up. I'm so inept. Damn, damn."

Helen walked from behind her. "You're not inept," she offered kindly. "It's just that the effort you always put in is so heartfelt, and I think that knocks your confidence in what you are doing."

"You really think that?" Nikki was astounded at the sincerity of Helen's remarks.

"Yes I do," she sighed before she carried on. "Nikki, I wouldn't just say this for the sake of it." Suddenly she leant forward and surprised Nikki by returning the kiss on the cheek that Nikki had given her the day before. "Yesterday you did that for thanks, so today I do this to say, I believe in you."

The candour with which Helen spoke caused Nikki to redden with embarrassment, something she couldn't remember every having done before. Unexpectedly she felt tongue-tied and this caused her to blush even more, because of that she avoided Helen's eyes, afraid that the kindness she knew she would almost certainly see in them would reduce her to tears. Mumbling her thanks, she took a deep breath and brought her mind back into focus.

Although she wasn't able to block Helen's words completely from her mind Nikki found that she was now able to block the rest of the outside world. Suddenly it was a lot easier to pinpoint thinking about the shield at the expense of everything else.

With renewed confidence she set off again. Slowly she covered each strip of ground. Every so often she felt a pull on the dowsing rod, sending a tingle up her arms, causing her to halt. Sean would come over and mark the position using the GPS system, calling out the coordinates to Helen who would write it down. Each section took about five minutes to do, and with twelve strips to complete the whole procedure took about an hour. Finishing off the final section check the sweat glistened on Nikki's brow, not so much from the warmth of the day but from the emotional effort it had taken to conduct the search.

#

After a small break had been taken to allow Nikki to recover a bit they studied the data they had collated.

Sean pointed to several readings. "Nikki said that those areas didn't give her as strong a sense as some of the other places, so if they are metal I would hazard a guess at things like coins." He looked at the others, and nobody disagreed with his assessment.

"So where did you get the strongest feeling Nikki?" asked Trish.

Without hesitation Nikki looked up towards a large magnificent copper beech tree that stood at the other end of the clearing, central to the path. She pointed over to it. "Very near that tree, I had a real pull there, but it still didn't feel quite right, sorry I can't explain it better."

"That's alright," Helen said reassuringly. "Often these sorts of things have no real words capable of describing them, do you feel up to trying around there in a bit more detail?"

"Yes, I'm glad I don't do this for a living though, I'm knackered."

Everybody laughed at Nikki's humour. It had obviously been hard for her, and they were grateful it was something they didn't have to do.

Sighing Nikki got up and made her way over to the tree. Reaching the spot where she had felt the pull from before Nikki went to start, but Helen reached out and placed a hand on her arm to stop her, in an almost mirror image of what Nikki had done to her the day before when they had been looking for the sword. "Hang on. This is an old tree, how about working around it?"

"Ok." Nikki wasn't sure what had prompted Helen but she trusted the other woman's instinct. She made her way to the very base of the tree and went to start dowsing, but she had hardly got the hazel rod into her hand when it moved with such force it fell from her grip, grazing her palms as it went. "Ouch! Shit! Bloody hell."

Nikki nursed her hands for a few seconds, checking to see if there was any bleeding, and was pleased to see that the grazes weren't deep enough to break the skin.

"Are you alright?" The concern sounded in Helens voice.

"Yes. My god, I've never felt anything like that before. What made you pick that spot?"

"I'm not sure, but after our encounter with the yew tree at the church yesterday and the pagan element of the whole thing, it made sense that a tree might have been used to mark any important places."

"And this is a lovely tree."

"Yes, so do you think we are right?"

"I'm sure of it, have you got the spade?"

"An archaeologist wouldn't be seen dead without one" Helen grinned, opening the rucksack, to produce the small metal spade which had a folding handle. "Do you want to do the honours?"

"Suddenly I don't feel tired anymore," Nikki said grinning, taking the spade off Helen. "I just hope this isn't too deep."

#

It took a lot of clearing work to remove the nettles and grass before Nikki had finally been able to start digging. Once she had gone down a couple of feet, Sean had insisted on taking over from her, saying that her didn't want to be responsible for taking a half dead women into Casualty with a no good story about how she had got into that state, and despite Nikki's weak protests the others had sided with him.

Making sure he was careful it didn't take Sean long to get down another foot before the spade hit something quite solid, and with extra caution Sean worked his way around the object, clearing soil away, making sure he wasn't wasting his time on a large stone. He eventually uncovered a large lid made of lead, in almost perfect condition. Nikki wasn't prepared to miss out on the final bit, so Sean made way for her and Helen to open the lid. Carefully Helen prised the spade under the lid's lip and started to lift.

Offering a lot of resistance to start with the lead seemed stuck but suddenly it gave way, breaking from the bottom half perfectly, allowing the two women to easily lift it out of the way between them. The lead interior was shallow, with a thin cloth covering the inside. Helen carefully unfolded the cloth to reveal a small metal shield, round in appearance with a radiance that came from around its golden edging. It didn't appear to be a typical style from any time period, if they had seen it in their official jobs they would had found it difficult to date it on looks alone such was it's uniqueness. They all stared at its beauty before Nikki lifted it out of the lead casing which had helped protect it for all those years.

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	12. Chapter 12

©2005 revised 2011

Chapter Twelve.

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Something wasn't sitting quite right with Jim Fenner, unease seemed to be leaking through every pore in his body. Fenner may have been many things, but he had a good coppers nose for trouble, and right now it was itching like mad and he couldn't pin it down. He paced the room like a caged animal. Sylvia Hollomby sat in an armchair that was in the corner of the large open plan sitting room. Minimal furnishings made up the modern décor. The glass display case's that dominated the room made it look more like a mini museum than a home. Lit up inside the case various objects of gold, silver and jewellery glittered in the artificial display lighting. Normally Sylvia's mind would be dreaming about her precious collection, but Jim's behaviour was of more concern to her right now.

She was desperately trying to placate him, "Jim?" He didn't respond to her voice, so she spoke more harshly to get his attention. "JIM!"

He finally stopped pacing to look at her, snapping, "WHAT?"

Sylvia knew that she would have to be slightly diplomatic and stroke his ego, so she purred. "Jim, my love, don't worry yourself, we'll find it."

"Yes but what if we don't?"

"We will," she patted the arm of the chair indicating she wanted him to come and sit beside her. "Ok, so we had a bad start but that doesn't mean that we can't get back into the hunt."

Jim finally relented and sat down. "If only I had realised earlier, I could kick myself for missing that."

Sylvia almost laughed at his admission, enjoying the fact that it was him who had missed an important clue for once, but decided laughing at him right now would not be a good idea, so she carried on in the same sort of tones that she had used before. "We've all made mistakes like that and with hindsight we would all kick ourselves afterwards, these things happen."

"But I dread to think of the consequences if we don't reach the target first."

A slightly hard edge came into Sylvia's voice. "We'll get there first, if nothing else I want to wipe that smug grin off Matthew Lee's face and the face of that bloody leader of his, who ever that turns out to be."

"You still don't know the answer to that then?" Jim queried.

"No, that's one of the things Mum couldn't help me with. I swear that she's almost as keen as me to get revenge on Matthew Lee after the way the pact, especially Matthew's Father, treated her."

"It's a pity that 'friend' of yours can't help."

"I've told you not to talk about him," now it was Sylvia's turn to get curt. A dangerous tone entering her voice, "To approach him now would show our hand and I'm not prepared to do that."

"Ok, ok," Jim had to hurriedly appease Sylvia. "I was just throwing ideas up in the air. That one can stay up there."

"Good, don't suggest it again. For the time being I don't want him knowing who we are."

#

Nikki closely examined the shield, the others crowding around her so they got a good look as well. Trish had been right, compared to the descriptions in the books, it was a very plain object indeed, but to Nikki it shone a hundred times more brightly than any other highly decorated piece. Like the sword it was not very big, it looked as though it had been made from one complete piece of metal, except for the outer edge, which was banded in gold. Helen had placed the blanket she had brought with her on the ground. Nikki placed the shield carefully on top, and wrapped it up. So far nobody had spoken. They all went about various jobs, and somehow knew what each of them was meant to do.

While Nikki dealt with the shield, Helen was making room in the rucksack to carry it back to the car. Sean and Trish were backfilling in the hole they had dug, hoping to hide their activity as best they could from any ramblers that might pass this way. Luckily the spot they had dug was some way away from the main path, so it was unlikely that it would be noticed by anybody.

#

Back at Sylvia's they were still trying to decide what to do next, because it was the weekend their options were limited. Any official departments that they wanted to go to for help were closed. More radical plans were needed.

"I could phone work and get their addresses? We could try the direct approach?" Jim suggested.

"And ask for what?"

"Copies of what was found for police records?" He suggested.

Sylvia thought about that for a few seconds, slowly admiration crept across her face. "You know that might just work!"

Jim grinned wolfishly as he reached for the telephone.

#

Thomas had enjoyed his time at Stonehenge; it had been very productive indeed. He made his way back to Helen's content with the day's work. After letting himself in with the spare key that Helen had given him, he decided to make a mug of tea. When Thomas got into the kitchen, he realised that he would have to hunt through drawers looking for the things to make the tea with. Mentally shrugging to himself at that invasion he assumed that Helen wouldn't mind given their history together. Reaching the third drawer Thomas came across some photocopied documents, half glancing at them he went to carry on looking for teaspoons when suddenly he noticed the content.

Curiosity filtered through and Thomas lifted them out of the drawer to examine them more closely. There were three pages in total. Scanning the top copy he slowly grinned, and the tea forgotten for the time being he sat down to read the rest. Soon he took out a small pad and pen from his pocket and started to make notes.

Twenty minutes later Thomas had finished and got the information that he wanted, he carefully replaced the papers where he had found them and finally got around to making his tea. Just as he was about to sit down to drink it the doorbell rung, Thomas answered half expecting to find a salesmen, and was surprised to find a man and a woman standing there, hastily he switched his appraisal to Jehovah Witnesses only to find he had guessed wrong again.

"Oh hello," said the woman who paled as she spoke which seemed odd. It looked as if she'd seen a ghost. "I was hoping to find Helen at home."

"I'm afraid that she's out with friends for the day." Thomas was curious about what had caused such a reaction in the woman. "I'm not exactly sure what time they will be back. Can I take a message?"

"No, no message, thank you." Thomas was going to ask more but the pair of them turned away and hastily departed. Thomas was baffled by the sharp withdrawal but knew he was a stranger to them and so they might not have been comfortable talking to him. As he shut the door Thomas reached for his mobile phone, the number he speed dialled was soon answered. "Hello."

Thomas didn't bother to introduce himself, there was no need. "I've managed to secure the legal information you need."

The person he had phoned asked. "Good, does it help us?"

"Oh yes, I'll see you shortly at the normal place."

Ending the call Thomas wondered how far things had progressed. He finally sat back relaxing in his chair enjoying the tea he had made.

#

Helen was pleased to discover that the car park that they had used was still deserted when they had made their way back. Quickly they placed the rucksack which now contained the shield into the boot of Nikki's car.

"Where do you think we should store this?" Trish asked.

"How about your place?" Helen suggested. "That way Thomas isn't likely to stumble across it by accident."

"Good idea," Nikki said. "If Trish doesn't mind having the swords as well, the three of them might be better off together."

"That's a good idea," Trish agreed. "We may as well drop this straight off, and then we can go to Helen's and get the swords."

"And try and work out the third clue." Sean chortled enthusiastically, before he added dramatically. "A robe, a robe, my kingdom for a robe!"

The mixture of groans and laughter echoed loudly around the car park, and the surrounding trees.

#

Sylvia and Jim got out of their car. Jim checked the address against the one's he had been given over the phone. "Yep this is the place," he confirmed.

"Well, at least we know she's not here."

"Yes, that was a bit of luck finding that out, so shall we make ourselves at home."

"Oh, yes lets." Sylvia's voice dripped with the same venom that had been in Jim's.

"Let's be polite and knock first," he added sarcastically before reaching for the door. Knowing there would be no reply, he carefully scanned the immediate area to check nobody was looking, and then he took out his wallet and removed two thick pieces of wire, both bent slightly at one end.

"Are those what I think they are?" Sylvia almost leered in pleasure.

"There's not much point in being a copper if you can't learn a few tricks of the burglar's trade. After all it helps so much to give practical demonstrations when you are dealing in house to house crime prevention." Jim replied evilly.

"Oh, how wonderful," in admiration Sylvia lightly clapped her hands together. "Your ingenuity never ceases to amaze me."

All she got in reply was Jim opening the front door and holding it for her to go through. "Thirty seconds. Nice, a new personal record. After you, and remember, keep your gloves on and don't disturb anything, we don't want her to know that anybody has been snooping around."

"Don't worry, I won't forget, it's been a day of surprises already, I have no intention of adding to that if I can help it."

They made their way quietly and quickly around the place, taking care to put everything back exactly where they found it. After a while the frustration could be heard in their voices. "Damn, it's not here!" Jim sounded angry.

"So, where is it likely to be? I felt sure they would bring it here."

"What about the records in your department?" Jim asked.

"It's possible there may be something there that could help us," although Sylvia didn't sound completely convinced. "I've got keys. We don't have to wait till Monday for it to open. We could go now?"

"We can't do any worse, come on, let's go before I start smashing the place up, which is what I feel like doing right now."

They left carefully making sure no clues were left to indicate that they had been.

#

Helen and Nikki drew up at Trish's house, they unloaded the shield before Trish invited them in for lunch, determined to repay Helen for the hospitality that she had shown the others over the last couple of days. Trish's cat had latched onto Helen the moment she had walked through the door, and hadn't left her side since, demanding fuss after fuss, much to everybody's amusement. The conversation was light and hardly touched on current events. Instead it had turned more towards the project that had sent them down this path in the first place.

"I wonder how they got on at Stonehenge in the end." Sean said.

"You know, with everything that has happened, I completely forgot about that." Helen was shocked at how easily it had slipped her mind. "They didn't phone us so there couldn't have been any major problems."

"Just a minor discovery of scrolls the first night," as he spoke Sean looked questioningly at Helen. "Are we sure there was nothing at Stonehenge that we might have missed?"

Helen replayed the time that they had spent on site in her mind. Eventually she shook her head. "No, nothing sticks out, but I know what you mean, it all started there and it's such a big site, surely it must hold some other significance. In fact now that you mention it, there is something that is niggling away at me which I can't quite pin down."

"Try not to think about it too hard," Nikki suggested. "It will probably just come to you."

"Yes, that might work, but remember that, because if I suddenly shout something out which is not relevant to what is happening or to what we are talking about at that moment, I not going mad, it's just that I will have remembered whatever it is that's bugging me."

"Blast spoilt my fun again," Sean joked. "Something like that would normally keep me going for weeks."

"Which is why we had better go and get the swords," Trish made the first move to leave. Helen followed, and as they left the house she couldn't help but wonder, after all the talk of Stonehenge, how Thomas's day had gone.

#

While the four friends were leaving Trish's house, Jim and Sylvia had arrived at the archaeology department. Sylvia had let them in and they had quickly found the right office, Jim's lock picks soon making light work of any areas that Sylvia's keys couldn't access. Sitting down at the desk they started to trawl through the paperwork.

They had read through half the papers that they had found before Sylvia spoke angrily. "Still nothing."

"Are you sure that you're right on this?" Jim ventured.

Immediately he wished that he hadn't questioned her credibility as she rounded on him, eyes glinting with malice, flying into a rage. "How dare you, you know damn well I'm right, the information is solid, and don't forget if it wasn't for me you would probably be lying in the bottom of some drunken haze right now."

"Ok, I'm sorry I doubted you," he said, hastily pouring calm onto the trouble waters he had stirred up. "Just put what I said down to frustration," As his platitudes continued Sylvia finally calmed down.

"Alright you're forgiven," Sylvia eventual said in tones that weren't completely convincing. "But say that again and you're on your own, understood?"

"Completely, now what do you say that we forget all that and get back to the reading?" He gestured to the remaining paperwork. "There's bound to be something here that can help us."

#

Ten minutes later Sylvia emitted a muffled sounding squeak. Jim looked up and saw excitement spreading across the woman's face. "I think I've found something," was all she would say, before she got up and went to use the photocopier that stood in the hallway next to the office they were working in. While Sylvia waited for the machine to warm up she called to him. "Start clearing up. I see no reason to stay in this god forsaken place a second longer than we have to."

Not wanting to antagonize her anymore Jim didn't argue and quickly cleared up all traces of their visit. But as they left the main building, he couldn't help himself, he had to ask. "What did you find?"

"Something that they wouldn't have guessed was anything to do with this, the place will be closed now, so they will be in the same boat as us, but I have the alarm code and you have the lock picks. We'll beat them to it." The glee was evident in Sylvia's voice.

#

When Helen arrived back at her house, she was quite surprised to see Thomas's car parked outside, however when they got inside there was no sign of him. She came to the conclusion that he must have taken a taxi somewhere, or gone for a walk. Whichever it was it suited them, because it meant that they could work unhindered. Carefully they put the swords into the car and went back to the kitchen for the third map. After a brief discussion, they agreed to go straight back to Trish's. Helen left Thomas a note to warn him that she might be back late. Ironically it reminded her of their time together. Soon the four of them were sitting back at the table they had left less than an hour before. The cat was delighted to have Helen back.

In front of them was the third of Alex's maps, it turned out to be much less defined than the others, the writing Alex had left was also much simpler, it only said. _'__Missing, it must be found.'_

Val had said that the robe had gone missing somehow, and the four of them came to the conclusion that the map showed an area where the robe might have been. They gave themselves a starting point by looking up the grid references that Alex had left on the modern map.

#

To their astonishment in the centre of the area they had marked stood the site of a Roman Villa.

"God, I was on the last years of that dig while I was a student, oh the wonders of holiday employment," Sean reminisced. "You know that site must have excavated on and off for over 150 years before they finally managed to get it sorted out."

"Why that long?" Nikki was genuinely interested.

"Access reasons, first they had permission to dig off the landowner, a keen amateur archaeologist from all accounts, then his heir banned them, then the next heir gave permission again and so it went on. Plus, there was the normal interruption because of the two world wars. The land was finally bought by English Heritage about twenty years ago and a full dig and restoration project was put into place. I believe it's quite a popular tourist attraction."

"If memory serves me correctly, isn't it the third largest Roman Villa ever found in Britain?" Helen asked.

"Yes, and it has a small museum, annexed off from the main site which is run purely by volunteers, and guess who is volunteer manager?"

"Who?" Helen looked puzzled, wondering why the other three were grinning at her as if they were all in collusion.

"Trish." Sean announced. The triumph at managing to beat Helen's guess was clear in his voice.

Helen looked at Trish impressed. "That sounds like quite a lot of responsibility?"

"Yes I suppose it is," Trish looked slightly embarrassed at the attention. "But the fun and the rewards that go with it are huge, and if the truth be known, I have a great team down there so I hardly have to lift a finger, in fact half the time I never know what's been going on it runs so smoothly. So it's not surprising you didn't know I was involved because the chances are if your department had any queries on any artefacts then people on site would deal with it rather than me."

#

Without warning Helen sat stock-still, almost as if she were in a trance. Disbelief etched onto her face, Nikki rushed over worried. "What is it?" The concern evident in her voice, when she didn't get an answer, panic started to creep in. "Helen, for god's sake, what's up?"

"The robe," the reply was distant and distracted.

Nikki placed her hands on Helen's shoulders and gently shook her, trying to get the Scottish woman to focus again. "Helen. What about it?" She spoke more gently this time, and Helen seemed to gradually come out of the trance,

"I've known where the robe has been all along. How did I miss that?"

Nikki looked puzzled, "I don't follow?" She shook Helen very gently again, just to make sure she got a clear answer, not wanting Helen to slip back to how she was before. "Come on, stay in the here and now, the robe?"

"It's at the museum." The Scottish woman murmured.

#

Everybody looked thunderstruck on hearing that statement. "How on earth would you know that?" Trish said. "Even I've have never heard of it."

Sean had worked out what had poleaxed Helen and so he answered for her. "I know how, it's the Stonehenge project. We asked for odd bits and pieces from nearby museums that might indicate any close settlements, there was a slight query on the robe but it got dismissed. As you said yourself it was just dealt with by the people at the museum. I think they had only just had the thing back after years of it sitting in a storage room somewhere waiting to be dated, plus originally it came from the perimeter of the Roman Villa so there was some confusion about whether it belonged at that particular museum or not. That's why you wouldn't have heard of it."

"He's right," Helen sounded like her old self now the shock had worn off. "Ever since the evening just before we started the work at Stonehenge I've had this niggling feeling banging away at the back of my brain about something I had missed. I put it down to something on the project, but it must have been to do with this."

"Well, that scuppers our plans for the weekend. Nobody will be around the museum now." Nikki sounded disconsolate.

"Erm, aren't you forgetting something here?" Trish smiled lightly. "Who's the volunteer manager for that place?"

Trish sat, her grin widening as the realization that they could enter the premises at will dawned on the others, she carried on speaking after they had absorbed the impact of what she had told them. "Of course, I won't know where about in the museum the robe will be, but I would hazard a guess in the storage room, because I hadn't heard of it and I was only visiting briefly last week and I don't remember seeing anything like that on display."

#

"Ah, the fickle finger of fate points once again at our lovely Trish," Sean got up and kissing her on the cheek. "Do you want a hand searching or will that be a waste of resources?"

"There isn't much room there, it's only a small museum after all, so I think I would be better off on my own, we'll end up tripping up over each other's feet if we're not careful."

"A smart move, so tell me, how does a man fill his time surrounded by two beautiful ladies?" He looked hopefully at Nikki and Helen and got the laugh from them both that he was looking for. Nikki moved closer to Helen and linked her arm into Helen's. "Two beautiful ladies eh, well, I think we'll just dump the man and carry on our merry way. Wouldn't you agree Helen?"

"Absolutely!"

"Oh, mortally wounded through the heart yet again." Sean dramatically clutched his chest as he spoke. Flawlessly he changed back to the previous subject. "So how do we fill our time while Trish is away?"

Once she had finished laughing Helen suggested that they went back to her house, leaving time for Trish plenty of time to go to the museum.

Trish looked at her watch, working out timings "I'll meet you back at Helen's then. I think I'll be about two and a half hours, certainly no later than three. I can pick up some food on the way back, and then we don't have to worry about cooking."

Once everybody had requested what he or she wanted to eat, Helen had given Trish a spare front door key. Then the others left for Helen's leaving Trish on her own.

#

Thomas had made his way to the normal meeting place, deciding to take a taxi rather than his own car, once there he had given his companion the information that they had been looking for, soon the same taxi was dropping them both off outside an impressive looking building. Thomas told the taxi driver not to bother waiting; they could now use the other man's car if needed. Looking up the drive, he wondered how long they would be. His companion soon turned the alarm off and led the way in.

#

After Trish had let the others out, she decided to feed the cat early in case she was late back again. The thought of being greeted once more that week by an irate and hungry feline later in the evening wasn't appealing. Grabbing a shoulder bag big enough to put the robe into, she made sure that she had the right keys before securing the house. After a short drive the blonde arrived at her destination. The main Villa site itself was still very busy with tourists, even though it was mid afternoon. The museum that sat to one side was quiet. Because the museum was manned by volunteers, it could only open every other weekend, glad that as manager her presence wouldn't arouse suspicion with the staff working at the main Villa, Trish decided not to bother trying to sneak in unseen, but drove right up to the front door.

When she reached the main entrance, she noticed that the alarm system hadn't been turned on. Tutting to herself as she let herself in and went up to the big main reception desk and left a note to the secretary asking that a memo be sent around reminding everybody they had to check that the alarm was on when they locked up. Part of her was cross to find such a basic error had been made. Hoisting the bag onto her shoulder Trish made her way through the security lit exhibits, the lights casting an eerie glow across the wooden floor and the sound of her shoes echoing into the distance. At the end of the main display area there was a door marked 'Private, authorised personnel only'.

Once Trish went through the door the security lights would not cast any light, and she would need to turn on the main lights. Trish had always found locating that particular switch awkward. Once she had opened the door, she again found herself fumbling along the wall.

Suddenly Trish was sure that she had heard somebody breathing. In panic she called out. "Hello. Is anybody there?"

She turned, intending to run back to the lit doorway, when a body brushed up beside her in the dark. Trish went to scream but a hand was clamped hard against her mouth, while her arm was grabbed roughly by her assailants other hand.

Total terror gripped her as, to her horror, a voice she recognised snarled menacingly in her ear. "Oh no you don't. You're coming with us."

#

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12


	13. Chapter 13

© 2005 revised 2011

Chapter Thirteen.

#

#

#

Three hours later the others were still waiting for Trish to arrive. They were relaxing in the sitting room, and deciding to give their minds a break from the scrolls for a while, had passed the time playing scrabble. Helen turned out to be good, much to Sean's disgust he lost both games which didn't suit his typical masculine competitive edge. Nikki had been highly amused at his misfortune.

Now Sean was starting to fidget. "Do you think something has happened?" He said nervously.

"No. She'll be here in a minute, I expect she's got held up in rush hour traffic," Nikki answered reassuringly. "It's only just turned the three hours."

"If you're that worried I'll give her a ring on her mobile in a bit." Helen suggested.

Five minutes later they heard a car draw up outside. "See I told you it would be alright," Nikki said as they heard the key turn in the lock.

"It's about bloody time," Sean called out loudly. "Apart from anything else I'm starving."

"That's an odd way to welcome somebody back," Thomas walked into the sitting room. "I take it you were expecting somebody else?"

"Ah, yes," Sean answered, embarrassed by his mistake. "I thought it was Trish, wrong again, oops, sorry."

"That's alright," suddenly Thomas saw the worry on their faces. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing," Helen answered hurriedly, getting up quickly to try and disguise how they were feeling. "I'll make everybody a drink," she added with a false cheeriness, making her way through to the kitchen.

"I'll help you then," Thomas looked confused, but as soon as he got into the kitchen with Helen he confronted her directly. "You don't fool me, what's wrong?"

#

Helen fussed over the tea bags. "How many do you think we need?"

Thomas placed his hand on top of the tea caddy to stop her. Helen lowered her head, not trusting herself to look into his eyes.

Thomas persisted. "I haven't seen you this flustered in a long time, in fact since I asked you to marry me. Now are you going to tell me what is going on or do I have to drag it out of you."

Helen raised her head, but still couldn't bring herself to look directly at him. "Honestly it's nothing, just Trish being late as normal."

Her tone was light, but Thomas could tell it was forced. "How late?" He demanded.

"Only fifteen minutes or so past the maximum time she gave us, that's all. Not enough to worry about really."

"But for some reason I can see that you are all worried, so I'll ask you again, what the hell is going on?"

Helen busied herself with the drinks, trying to ignore his incessant demands, finally in frustration Thomas roughly grabbed both her hands, and he almost shouted at her. "God damn it, tell me what you have got mixed in?"

Helen pulled her hands away. "Ouch, I had forgotten you could have a temper on you," rubbing the soreness away, Helen was virtually shouting back at him. "I don't know what you mean. I haven't got mixed up in anything as you so politely put it!"

Hearing the shouting Nikki came charging through the door and immediately was at Helen's side. Glaring furiously at Thomas she asked Helen. "Are you alright?"

Helen nodded when reality her heart was pounding, the way Thomas had spoken made her wonder if he knew any of what was going on, suddenly having him staying in the house didn't seem such a good idea. She decided to try and bluff her way out of the situation,

"Alright. It's to do with is the Stonehenge job," Helen paused and fiddled with the kettle, wondering how much she could bend the truth. "Trish thought she had something of interest at one of the museums that she helps run. She went to fetch it and told us she would be three hours at the latest. You just end up worrying about silly little things like road accidents."

"All three of you are worried, I wouldn't call that a little thing."

#

Helen suddenly stopped what she was doing annoyed at Thomas's intrusion into her life, the anger galvanizing her into action.

"You know, you're right, I think we'll give tea a miss, carry on if you want one, but the rest of us are going to see if we can find out what has held up Trish." Helen stalked out of the kitchen, fuming at Thomas. Nikki trailed behind her still staring angrily at the man who had dared shout at Helen.

Going into the sitting room Helen grabbed a startled Sean by the hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on," she barked, her Scottish accent more pronounced in her anger. "We're away to look for Trish, apart from anything I want to get away from the third degree in there."

Leaving Thomas in the kitchen doorway, Helen turned to him and without stopping said forcefully. "If Trish turns up or rings please ask her to phone either myself or Nikki. She had our mobile numbers."

"Wait. Helen, please!" Thomas didn't get any further before he got the front door comprehensively slammed in his face.

#

Helen got into her car, with Sean taking the front passenger seat, and Nikki sitting directly behind Helen, both of them bewildered by Helen's sudden actions.

"Blimey," Sean said solemnly. "Remind me to never piss you off."

Helen glared at him, silencing him without having to say a word. He just held his hands up in surrender. As she turned on the car's ignition Helen turned to Nikki and said quite brusquely. "See if you can get Trish on her mobile."

"I tried while you were in the kitchen, no luck."

"Then we shall have to go to the museum. Sean, I take it you know the way?"

"Yes, just go out of the city on the Stonehenge road."

Putting the car into gear Helen grumbled. "Everything seems to lead back there."

#

Trish felt more afraid that she had at any time in her entire life. After she had been grabbed, her hands had been tied together in front of her, sticky tape put over her mouth and a black cloth of some sort had been placed over her head and tied tightly at the neck, plunging her into complete and utter darkness. She had heard two muffled voices whispering behind her, all Trish managed to catch of the conversation was a couple of the sentences spoken by the voice she had recognized when she had been captured. "Ok, so we leave it and come back again. But where do we take her?"

Unable to catch her assailants' accomplices' reply Trish couldn't even make out whether the accomplice was a man or a woman. Soon she was being roughly bundled through the building, twice she fell, and not able to see to help herself, she couldn't break her fall and ended up bruising herself quite badly. The second time Trish fell she also got a kick in the leg and snarled at again. "Do that once more and you'll stay here permanently."

Tears of pain and fear now fell and Trish hoped they didn't show through the cloth, despite everything she didn't want to show any signs of weakness if she could help it. After what had seemed a lifetime she had been led down some steps. Trish had felt fresh air blowing around her, indicating that they were now outside; she rightly guessed that she had been taken out by the back door because there were no steps at the front of the building. Then her shins hit something hard, causing her groan in pain, she was pushed forward, overbalancing and unable to stop herself in time she fell onto what felt like the rough carpet of a car boot. Her legs were hooked up from underneath her, and she was twisted into the small space before she heard the lid slammed shut above her head.

#

After a very uncomfortable journey the car engine was turned off. Trish decided that they had arrived at the unknown destination. Sure enough the boot lid was opened above her, fresh air rushing in replacing the rancid mixture of old, stale and petrol laden fumes. Trish was manhandled out of the boot as violently as she had been put in.

Grabbed roughly around her arm, Trish realized they appeared to be walking on a gravel path. She was pulled up to a halt and she heard locks being opened in front of her. Pushed forward again Trish realised that the sun that she had felt on her back had suddenly disappeared. Wherever they had taken her was cold. She struggled to walk down some unseen stairs. Then they were walking along a hard surface, before Trish was taken down several more steps, several of which she tripped down.

Suddenly they stopped, and the ties around her hands were undone, but Trish also felt something cold and metallic being put around one wrist.

Hearing footsteps fading away from her Trish wondered what was going to happen next when she caught her attacker's voice growling at her from a distance. "When you hear the door close you can take off that hood."

#

Ears straining Trish heaved a sigh of relief at the sound of a door closing. Trying not to panic she ripped at the cloth, desperate to be free from its claustrophobic confines. When her head emerged she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to quell the fear that was rising. Eventually she felt enough control to take in her surroundings, carefully she opened her eyes, and looked around her prison, it was fairly dark, only a tiny slit of a window at the very top of the far wall let any light into the stone built room, and a slab floor completed the barrenness of her surroundings. A simple wooden pallet bed was next to her, covered in woollen blankets, with a crude wooden table that held a bottle of water and some basic food of bread and cheese.

Despite everything Trish found that highly ironic. In the corner stood a bucket with a lid, she wasn't looking forward to having to use that. Her wrist was manacled to a longish chain that ran to a metal loop concreted into the floor. The chain looked strong even though it appeared to have been there for many years. It gave enough length for Trish to reach the bed and bucket in relative comfort but not enough for her to reach the door or the window, giving her no chance of trying to see where she was. Now, finally alone from her captors Trish let the tears of anguish that had been building within her run freely.

#

Bringing her car to a sliding halt Helen swore loudly, not caring what the others thought. "Fuck."

Trish's car was still parked outside of the museum.

With her longer strides Nikki was the first to reach it, she placed her hand on the bonnet. "It's cold. She must still be inside."

The other two joined her at the museum entrance. Looking through the glass doors they couldn't see any movement inside.

Nikki rattled the door while Helen went to reach for the bell, but the door swung open at Nikki's touch.

Helen paused, her hand in mid-air. "I guess I won't need to ring after all."

Once they were inside Nikki turned to secure the inner bolts to make sure that nobody could just wander in uninvited. "I'm surprised Trish forgot to do that, she really must have got her head stuck in some dusty corner of the storage room."

"There's only one way to find out. I think I can remember the way from when I was here last," Sean led the way through the building until he reached the door at the end of the exhibits. "That's odd," he said. "Why isn't the corridor light on?"

"Two way switch?" Helen suggested.

"I suppose so, but I can't remember there every being a switch like that." He shrugged at the possibility as he turned the lights on, brightly illuminating the short corridor. The closed door for the storage room was 20 foot away directly in front of them.

Expecting to find Trish huddled over some find they were shocked to discover that it was unlit and deserted,

"Shall we split up to try and find her?" Helen asked.

"Yes, it's not the biggest place, she can't be far away." Sean whispered in reply.

#

Ten minutes later they had gathered back in the main lobby, concern was now very evident on all of their faces. Nikki was holding a shoulder bag that she knew to be Trish's. She had discovered it in the lobby, hidden slightly by the desk, and inside it they had found Trish's keys, purse and mobile phone.

#

Meanwhile Thomas sat in his car, watching the museum, hidden from view by the tourist cars still parked at the Roman Villa site.

He dialled a number on his mobile phone, as soon as the other end was answered he said. "It's me. They're at the museum, time to think about playing our hand." He paused, listening to what was being said at the other end of the line. "Yes, but without the four of them and the robe everything that has been worked for will be lost. We must adapt the original plan if we are to succeed. After all, we have done that already." The response he got was brief. "I will go back to the house and will bide my time there. If needed we will get them to the church."

#

"Now what do we do?" Nikki's concern for her friend was evident in her voice.

"We could call the police?" Sean said.

"No way. Think how the story would look, they would probably lock us all up saying that we gone cuckoo. No, we need to try and figure out what has happened ourselves."

"But not here," Helen said. "We can't risk staying. It's too late in the day. People from the villa site will start to get suspicious of our cars being here before long."

"Then I'll drive Trish's car back," Nikki quickly led them out of the museum. "Finding the robe will have to wait for a while, at least we know where it is."

They locked the door behind them using the keys out of Trish's bag, but not knowing the alarm code they were unable to set the system.

#

Sean travelled back with Helen, and when they arrived back at her house he fleetingly could have sworn that that Thomas's car wasn't quite parked where it had been when they left. Thomas himself was in the sitting room. He looked quite angry and Helen couldn't blame him after the way she had blown him off. Sean and Nikki made their way into the kitchen to allow the two of them to talk.

Thomas went to speak, but again Helen cut him off. "Look I know, sorry, but we can't find Trish so you're little worries about what I am or what I am not involved in are not my concern right now. We're not engaged anymore which I seem to remember was your decision so I rather think you gave up the right to demand things, it is something that you are going to have to live with as part of the choice that you made."

Thomas sensibly shut his mouth at her tirade, and she carried on. "We are going into the kitchen and I would be grateful if you would leave the house for an hour so we are not disturbed."

Without waiting for an answer she turned on her heel to join the others.

#

When she reached the kitchen Nikki was nervously pulling at some papers,

Sean was pacing up and down by the table. "Well," he said, stopping briefly. "Where is she?"

"Somebody's got her." Nikki answered with total certainty in her voice.

"But who, and why? It doesn't make sense."

"I think we may know the answer to who Sean," Helen replied. "A lot of people would want to have what we have found if they knew about it, after all it does appear to give the user ultimate control of the world. It would seem like a very attractive thing to possess, especially if they were deluded into thinking they were chosen to have man's fate in their hands."

"I still can't see who, I concede that people would want it, but who else could know about it," Sean thought for a minute, understanding dawning. "Ah, yes!"

"Bodybag." They all said the name together.

"Or any of the seven families on that list you found Sean," Helen reminded them.

"Yes, but we saw her in suspicious circumstances at Matthew Lee's house, so to me that makes her the front runner." He argued.

Helen nodded, accepting his argument.

"She must have realized what the scrolls were when Fenner told her about them," exclaimed Nikki. "Oh, I bet he was popular that day, she must have been livid at losing them like that."

"Which makes them dangerous," Helen said. "And if Bodybag realized that the robe at the museum are one and the same…."

" …. They might have already been at the museum looking for it when Trish arrived." Nikki seamlessly finished Helen's sentence.

"So the next question is, did they find it and also where would they have taken Trish?" Helen looked between Sean and Nikki, hoping one of them might have an answer.

Sean was the first to reply. "My guess is they haven't got the robe yet, but if they knew where it was why take Trish?" He finished, puzzled.

"I agree with you about the robe, because nothing looked disturbed at the museum," said Nikki. "And as for taking Trish, I think that they might not know the whole story, so they could have taken Trish hoping to find out the rest of the information from her, or use her to get to us."

#

Trish was battling against the tendrils of hopelessness that were starting to lap at the edge of her consciousness, she didn't want that to happen knowing it would mentally drain her, instead she tried to stay positive, and decided to go through all she knew, hoping that something had been missed that might help her. Part of her still couldn't understand how they had failed to see through her captor's deceit. Now it seemed so obvious. She didn't understand why she was being held and spent some time trying to work out their motives. Her mind still felt fuzzy from the emotion of the situation that she found herself in, and although the initial shock of her capture had now passed, it was still difficult to try and focus on thinking clearly.

Slowly but surely Trish forced her mind to clear. She decided that her captors must have been at the museum looking for the robe, and judging by the conversation that she had overheard they had decided to leave the robe where it was for now. It seemed that it had been pure bad luck that she had stumbled in on their operation. Eventually Trish's academic mind took over and banished the despair, allowing her to sift through the clues, determined not to be a helpless victim.

She knew that if the others went looking for her they would find the main entrance door to the museum open, she also hoped that they would come across her bag. When Trish had fallen the second time it had come loose, snagging on something and breaking the strap that had held it on her shoulder. Trish had made a point of not trying to retrieve it, hoping, desperately, that her assailants would miss it completely. Without sight it had been impossible to know if her plan had worked, but some instinct told her that she had been successful. It comforted her to know that she had got at least a single clue past her captors, she felt as though she had at least managed to control one element of being taken prisoner. Since being left in the makeshift cell Trish had heard no evidence of anybody else being present in the same building, she decided that once they had shackled her to the chain she had been left there on her own.

Wondering how long she would be alone Trish decided that her captors might use her internment to try and gain further information on the artefacts, or use her as a hostage to get the other three to co-operate. Trish hoped that her friends would be able to work out who her captors were, but somehow she wasn't confident that would happen, the people involved had so far been very skilful in hiding themselves.

#

Back at Helen's Nikki had emptied Trish's shoulder bag carefully onto the kitchen table. The three of them had slowly sifted through the contents, and had been unable to locate a single item that would help them find Trish.

"Well, it looks like the only clue was the bag itself," Nikki was despondent.

"Come on," urged Helen. "If it hadn't been for this we might have spent a lot longer trying to work out what had happened to Trish."

""I know it's just that I had hoped for more."

"That's only natural, she's been a friend for years, and of course it's going to affect you more than Sean or myself."

"Ah, girls," interrupted Sean sounding unsure of himself. "What I am about to suggest is going to sound like one of my barmiest ideas yet, but I'm deadly serious."

"Ok, you've got my attention." Nikki shrugged, knowing she would try just about anything at this point.

"Mine too," coaxed Helen. "After all we haven't got anything else to go on right now."

"I am warning you it will sound like one of my practical jokes." Sean still looked as though he wasn't expecting Helen and Nikki to take him seriously.

"Maybe, but right now, looking at your face, you don't leave any doubt about your sincerity." Nikki wondered what on earth Sean had thought of that merited him giving such a caution.

He took a deep breath as if preparing himself for some kind of negative reaction before he said simply. "Nikki dowses for her."

"She what?" Helen yelped, now understanding why he had been so reticent to say anything. "Bloody hell, it's a good job you warned us."

Nikki looked at him in disbelief. "It sounds ridiculous, and how on earth do you dowse for a person?"

"Er, well, it has been done before," Sean shifted nervously, knowing that he had asked them to take a big leap of faith. "Apparently if the person doing the dowsing has contact with a personal object from the person they are looking for, the energy it creates links in and you can use a map to pin point somebody."

"Surely hazel or even metal rods would be too bulky to be accurate on such a small scale." Helen spotted the most obvious flaw.

"You're right, so they use a weight and string, along a similar principal to a plumb line, swing that gently over a map and apparently it will gravitate to the correct spot by pulling downwards, feeling heavier, it's known to be fairly accurate, maybe not pin point but it should be close enough."

"How do you know all this?" Nikki asked amazed.

"After your tales the other night I did a bit of research."

"Well, right now I'll give any oddball ideas a go," said Nikki. "I'm not saying that I can succeed but if it means finding Trish then I'll damn well try."

#

"Ok," Sean took charge, "Nikki if you could find the most personal item out of Trish's bag, Helen, if you could get a pencil to mark down any hits Nikki gets, as well as the map that we have been using lately, Oh and if you have got some, any maps in a larger scale for the same area would be useful, you never know we might be able to narrow it down even further." He cleared the top of the table as Nikki found Trish's purse had a photograph of her cat inside it, she decided to use both objects.

"Helen if you have some thin string and a steady weight as well?" Sean didn't get to finish before Helen was looking in a drawer, finding some string straight away, as well as a brass plumb weight that had been her Fathers.

"Do you think that should do it?" Helen wanted to know.

"I doubt we could do any better." Sean took the items off her and tied a length of string onto the weight.

Meanwhile Nikki had spread the map out onto the table, Sean held out the plumb line, and as she took it off him he said, "I hope this works, I'm afraid I have no real idea about how you operate this."

Nikki smiled wanly. "That's alright, lets do what we always do, take it steady and logically. I would appreciate it if you were both quiet though."

"Of course, good luck." He squeezed her free hand smiling weakly.

Helen gave Nikki a quick hug, and said simply. "Good Luck."

#

#

Nikki forced herself to empty as many of the tangled emotions she was feeling from her mind as she could. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and held the purse containing the photograph close to her chest, as she did so she thought of all the times she and Trish used to play at home when they were children. She then let all the good memories from the entire intervening years flood through her.

Slowly she extended her other hand, moving the plumb line gently across the map; going from side to side Four times she stopped and just said. "Mark that."

Once she felt that she had covered the whole map, she then swung the line up and down the map. Again four times Nikki stopped and asked Sean and Helen to mark the place. Only after she had covered the entire area did she dare open her eyes to see how she had done. Her body tingled with the effort and she felt tired. Sean and Helen were already crouched over the map looking at the results.

Helen looked up at Nikki, awed by the accuracy of the marks. "Only one hit went wildly off compared to the other three, in effect they mark out a triangle, but even the wild shot hit over the area of town where Trish lives, so that could be the cat. You were using the photo after all."

"This might just work," Sean smiled, relieved. "To be honest when I suggested it I was a bit desperate and decided to clutch at straws."

Nikki looked from one to the other. Disbelief had etched itself on her face. "It really seems to have worked?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes it really seems to have worked," Helen reassuringly squeezed her arm. "So do you feel up to trying on a larger scale map?"

Nikki nodded. The fatigue that she had felt was forgotten. The toll that it had taken was now tempered by the desire to track down her friend.

#

Helen looked through the larger scale maps and found the one that corresponded to the area Nikki had pinpointed.

Nikki followed the same pattern that she had used before, the difference being that she asked the others to mark six areas. By the end every nerve in her body throbbed painfully, she felt exhausted and jumpy. Rubbing her arms she looked at Sean and Helen, "Oh." Nikki saw the disappointment on their faces.

"I think that we have got a crossover somewhere, sorry," Sean explained apologetically.

"What do you mean a crossover?" Nikki was puzzled.

"You kept hitting Slade, I think that your ties to Alex and St Mary's must have been too great and interfered with your senses."

Nikki felt herself deflating, tiredly she said. "Oh well, then I try again."

"No," Helen uttered firmly. "Sorry, but I'm not happy with you putting yourself through that again. The strain really showed that time."

Nikki rankled and replied in an irritable voice. "Trish is my friend and I intend to do anything I can to get her back. I don't care what you say."

"Fine, but don't be stupid," Helen retorted. "Think about it! What help will you be to her if you wear yourself out? Any good that you might be able to do will be clouded by fatigue."

Nikki visibly bristled at Helen's words, but at the same time you could see the inner torment going on because she knew that what Helen had said was right. Finally the reality that she could do no more fully sunk in and she sat slumped in one of the kitchen chairs, her head resting in her hands. Sean and Helen looked at each other, they both felt helpless and unable to ease the heartache their friend was feeling.

Eventually Helen sat next to Nikki and said gently. "I'm sorry. I sounded such a cow just then."

Nikki lifted her head and gave an empty laugh. "That's ok. It was probably the only way you were going to get through to me, so, any other ideas that you two might have about where Bodybag and Fenner have taken Trish would be gratefully received, because right now I'm all out of them myself."

#

Trish heard a door open in the distance. Listening to footsteps approaching she sat on the pallet with her back against the wall and her knees drawn up. Hearing a key in the lock of her cell door Trish's stomach knotted in apprehension, a masked figure walked into the room.

The voice, which by now Trish found so sickening, asked icily. ""We want to know how far your group has got with its little crusade."

Automatically Trish replied. "I don't know what you're on about." Her voice trembling as she spoke.

Her reply was greeting by insincere laughter, and in the same cold tones she was asked again. "How far have you got, and don't play the brave martyr."

Her captor then took a menacing step forward, an arm raised as if to strike her.

#

#

#

13


	14. Chapter 14

© 2005 revised 2011

Chapter Fourteen.

#

#

#

Now understanding the full concept of evil Trish braced herself and the expected strike of the raised hand arrived viciously, causing her head to spin violently.

Her assailant now whispered frighteningly into her ear. "As the American's would say, three strikes and you're out, so last chance, how far have you and your cronies got?"

"Please!" Trish begged, dread creeping in. "If I knew exactly what you were on about I might be able to help you more."

She franticly hoped her plea would be listened to. Long seconds passed and she hardly dared breathe from fear of what might happen. A brief nod finally signalled the acceptance of her statement.

"So you have no chance of misunderstanding what I am after, I shall spell out exactly what I want the answer too."

Trish quickly nodded, not wanting to antagonize her captor any further.

"Good, I'm glad that we understand each other, so, how far have you got looking for the Wade swords and the robe?"

#

#

Trish thought fast, obviously her captors knew where the robe was, but possibly not the swords, and the shield hadn't been mentioned at all. She decided to test her theory on the knowledge they possessed about the artefacts.

"The robe," she slowly replied. "We thought of the museum like you must have done, but it was only a bit of a guess." She waited, hoping that she had said the right thing.

Relief swept though her when she heard. "Right answer at last, so go on, where will we find the swords?"

'Good', thought Trish her hopes rising, 'they don't know where the swords are'. She decided that if she could stall them by sending them to the wrong place it should give the others more time to look for her. Out loud she said. "We thought we had found them, but we must have got the information wrong somehow."

She was interrupted. "Why do you think it was wrong?"

"The source we heard it from was not first hand, so it couldn't be verified as being accurate at all."

After her explanation had been mulled over briefly, her captor gave her another brief nod before speaking. "Ok, that matches the information that we have, carry on."

Trish took a deep breath. This was the bit she was going to have to make sound convincing. "And we were told it would be inside a church at a village called Slade, but when we went there we couldn't find it."

"What was the name of the church?"

'Yeah, like you don't know,' thought Trish as she answered. "St Mary's," and she held her breath, then heaved a sigh of relief when her captor just left the room without another word.

#

Helen heard the front door open and then close. "That's Thomas, so the hour I gave him must be up."

"Do you think he'll leave you alone, or will he keep questioning you about all this?" Sean asked concerned.

"He's a lawyer. I don't think leaving questions unanswered is in his nature." Helen looked at the kitchen door expecting Thomas to come bursting through demanding answers.

She wasn't disappointed as he came charging in looking a bit like a raging bull.

"I want answers Helen, and I want them now," he declared, not even bothering to acknowledge Nikki and Sean. "Trish has gone missing, you lot are skulking around like common thieves and I want to know what it is you have all got mixed up in. So, is it drugs?"

#

Thomas appeared thrown off balance by the reaction he got to that question from all three of them. They genuinely found what he had asked funny, and they all laughed out loud.

"Oh for God's sake," he was close to yelling now. "This isn't a game."

"No, no, you're right," Helen spluttered, finally managing to bring her laughter under control, before her voice hardened. "But it also has nothing to do with you."

She left Thomas in no doubt from the tone she had used. As far as she was concerned she was not prepared to compromise on that.

Thomas decided to throw his hat into the ring. Trish going missing had changed everything. They had to trust him though before progress could be made. "So what significance does St Mary's at Slade have?" As he'd suspected the question caused Helen, Nikki and Sean to visibly tense.

#

"How, how, what do you know about St Mary's?" Nikki stuttered as her face paled.

"So it is important then." Thomas tried not to sound jubilant.

"Important or not, how and what do you know about St Mary's?" Helen insisted. She was furious at Thomas's apparent smugness.

"It's time you lot started to work out the bigger picture here," Thomas's answer was ambiguous at best.

"The bigger picture?" Nikki had recovered somewhat although she now looked puzzled. "Sorry you are making no sense what so ever."

"I will do, don't worry," Thomas sounded frustrated. "God, do I have to spell it out for you."

"I think that you might have to," it was Helen's turn to look confused. "And you still haven't answered my question about how and what you know about St Mary's."

Thomas closed his eyes to concentrate and then recited from memory. "St Mary's, parish of Slade, census for 1901 shows seven families living there," he glanced at Sean. "You really shouldn't leave you're laptop still logged onto the final thing you had looked at last night, I found all this out after going to turn it off."

"That might give us the how, but not the what." Helen was determined to find out exactly what he knew.

"Haven't I just told?" Thomas calmly replied.

"Shit, you know damned well you haven't."

"You could always try trusting me."

"Give us one good reason why we should trust you?" Nikki demanded.

The two word answer that Thomas gave her hit home like a bombshell. "Alex Wade."

Even thought she had been sitting down Nikki nearly keeled over in shock, Sean looked equally stunned while Helen had gripped the sides of the table so hard her knuckles were turning white.

"So are you going to start taking me more seriously now?" Thomas appeared incredibly calm, after nobody answered him he prompted. "Well, somebody say something."

"You had better start explaining yourself, that name may have been on the census, but there was no way in Hell the laptop could tell you that was the name we were interested in." Helen finally insisted.

"You need to trust me," he reiterated, looking from one to the other.

"How can we though," Helen looked and sounded upset. "You bring up Alex's name as if you know much more than you are letting on."

"Sit down, all of you," Thomas said gestured to Sean to join the others at the table. "I'll try and explain."

A subtle difference seemed to be happening in Thomas, instantly he had become a much softer person, emitting a calm that enveloped everybody. "You're right, I'm not who you think I am."

#

Helen starred at him in disbelief, "Then who the hell are you?" She asked. "Because I sure as hell don't feel like I know you anymore!"

He looked at Helen gently. "The one thing that I have always been is in love with you, those feelings haven't changed, but it became apparent that I was not your true love, so I had to, and still have to, release you to find that person. What I am about to refer to is the rest of me that you knew, or thought you did." He paused and sighed, before confessing. "Yes, Sean did leave his laptop on like I said, but you're right, I already knew about Slade and Alex's connections there."

He then looked directly at Nikki. "Alex Wade, descendant of Anharad and Carod. Five other families were present and witnessed the night Carod arrived on this Earth. Those five families have always protected the Wade family against harm."

"Hang on," Helen frowned. "What do you mean? Arrived on this Earth?"

"He was a Guardian," was Thomas's reply. "Another followed to aid him, creating the pact of seven, and the second Guardian became the leader of this pact. They all vowed to protect the Wade family through time, those are the seven families named in the census."

#

Surprisingly everybody absorbed the information Thomas was giving him or her with ease, instinctively knowing it was the truth.

"But if the legend that we heard is correct, then only three families would aid the Wade descendants, where do the other four fit in, after all, we know the three are Trish, Sean and myself?" Helen queried.

"That's basically correct, but only those from a higher ranking family were allowed inside the sacred circles, those are the direct lines which involve your group, the lower ranking families had other duties to fulfil."

"Let me guess," Nikki said when realization dawned. "One of the lower ranking families is Sylvia Hollomby's? The person we know as Bodybag."

"Correct, that is why she feels cheated, indeed it ended up with her Mother getting expelled from the pact over, among other things, demands that she been crowned leader above higher ranking families. She has a major axe to grind."

"So Matthew Lee knew why we were at the church, and what we were looking for?"

"Yes, he phoned me straight away and then checked that you had found the swords after you had left."

"Why didn't you let yourselves be known?"

"Because of the history with Sylvia's family, it could have caused you even more problems."

"So exactly which families do we each come from?" Sean wanted to know.

Thomas just smiled enigmatically. "All in good time, more importantly, do you have the shield?"

#

Helen looked around at the other two and decided to trust Thomas. "Yes it's safe."

Thomas heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God, we were worried Sylvia might have reached one of the three artefacts first."

"We think she might have." Nikki got up urgently. "Trish went to the museum to look for the robe, we think Sylvia had worked out that particular robe was connected to all of this, it didn't look as if she had got it when we think Trish disturbed them but if Bodybag goes back she might have hold of it by now."

"What?" Thomas was genuinely shocked. "Out of the three objects that is the last thing we wanted them to find, we had lost track of it and so hoped it would be safe from her."

Thomas jumped up from his chair. "Come on, grab the keys for the museum, we haven't a moment to lose."

He raced out of the house. The urgency seemed to pour from him. The rest of them piled into his car, and he rapidly had the vehicle speeding out of Helen's street.

"But if they found Trish at the museum and have taken her hostage, surely we've got to find her?" Sean asked.

"We will, I promise, I think she's safe, they will be wanting to use her to get hold of the artefacts, and now I know exactly what is going on I've got a good idea where they might have taken her." Thomas drove with skill, coping well with the high speeds. Soon he had taken them back to the museum, with the same haste he had used to get into the car he got out and led them up to the entrance door while Helen quickly found the right key.

"Ok, the robe should be in the storage room if Sylvia hasn't found it," she told him. "Trish might have interrupted them before they looked in there. She had the advantage of knowing exactly where to look and I doubt they would carry on the search straight away with a hostage in tow."

"Let's hope your right." Thomas replied fervently.

#

Quickly they all ran through the deserted building, once they reached the storage room they rapidly searched in the boxes, not bothering to be tidy.

"I've got it." Sean shouted, pushing his way through another stack of containers, he carefully held up a robe and straight away the others could see that it was identical to the one Val had given them.

"Phew, thank God," the relief was evident in Thomas' voice. "Let's get out of here."

"I couldn't agree more," Helen agreed wholeheartedly. "We need to concentrate on finding Trish."

"You said you thought you knew where they might be holding her?" Nikki asked Thomas as they made their way out of the museum.

"That's right, but first we need to go back to Helens. I hope the swords and the shield are not there, we need to keep them separate from the robe for the time being."

"They are, ironically we moved them because I was worried you might stumble across them," Helen snorted at the incongruity.

"Right idea, wrong reasons," Thomas conceded. "However I did come across the photocopies of the maps Alex had left, so I knew you were on the trail."

#

Thomas proved himself to be as capable driving back as he had been on the outward journey. Smoothly he overtook a lorry as he carried on explaining his role in this adventure. "Matthew and I had hoped that this was year when things were going to happen."

"There you go again," Helen ground out exasperated. "Saying this is the year as if we should all know exactly what that refers too. You know I hate it when I hear that sort of comment without an explanation."

"Sorry, I seem to be doing a lot of that lately," Thomas pulled a face as if he was chastising himself. "I keep forgetting the events of forty years ago. Certain information got lost to Nikki's family and was what caused Sylvia's Mother to be expelled from the pact, I'll explain as soon as we get inside."

He quickly pulled the car up to park.

#

Once they had all got in the house, Nikki had put the robe from the museum with the other one in the trunk that was being stored under Helen's stairs. Thomas led the others back into the kitchen. He looked at the maps on the table as well as the plumb line.

"Good," he commended as Nikki joined them. "I'm glad your abilities are being used, I would guess that Nikki has been trying to find Trish?"

"Yes, but I don't think I did very well!"

"Whys that?" He asked with curiosity on his face.

"Because I kept hitting Slade, so I think it's muddled up with the feelings I have for Alex." Nikki sounded really dejected.

"Oh, yea of little faith, you have found her. I suspected that is where Sylvia would take her. Don't forget that's where her family comes from. There is something that you all need to know. I spoke to Matthew earlier, we had planned you to lure you to the church later to give you a push in the right direction, we couldn't show ourselves too early or it could have corrupted your search, a big part of it relied on you basically managing to find everything on your own, but after you got back from looking at the museum for Trish I knew I had to show my hand."

"So you did use your car earlier, I thought it had moved slightly," Sean said accusingly. "You must have followed us up to the museum because you knew we had got the keys when we went there just now."

"Quickly spotted, yes I did do that, a good job as it turned out, I might not have been able to help you so rapidly otherwise."

"Before we go to find Trish, I have to know, too which of the Slade families are we related?" Sean's curiosity burned in his eyes.

Helen looked at Thomas expectantly. "I have no idea which family I belong to either."

From the look on their faces Thomas knew there would be no point in trying to leave before he had told them what they wanted to know.

#

"I can only give you so much, Wade, well no explanation needed. Helen you know mine?"

"I've guessed now yes, your surname is Waugh. That has to be you, it was right in front of my nose from the moment I read what Sean had found on the internet and I still didn't make any connection," Helen chastised herself angrily. "How many more times am I going to miss the obvious before this is over?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, you weren't expecting it. As for the rest of you, Trish comes from the Cole line, Sean, you are from the Ridge family, and they have always been the jokers of the pact."

"Jokers of the pact, I like that pun, I'll have to remember that." Sean grinned approvingly.

"Sylvia's family is the Stone family."

"And hard as. Appropriate." Nikki commented.

"You all now know about the Lee family, and the Marsh family were killed out in the Second World War."

#

"But then the maths doesn't add up, there are three of us helping Nikki, you have accounted for the other four of the seven families, but based on the numbers there are eight of us, where do I come in? I thought I was going to be the Marsh family?" Helen was clearly confused. "It doesn't make sense."

"It will do, I can't really say anymore than that at this point," Thomas replied gently. "All I can say is that the legend stated that another person would become involved, bringing the pact back up to the true seven after the loss of one, the Marsh family, only Helen can discover what uniqueness she will bring to this quest."

Helen sat quietly digesting the information he had given her.

Sean broke the silence. "You do realise that out of the names you have given us, not including Sylvia's family because we know she was from a lower rank, that one of them has to be related to the second Guardian."

"Despite being the jokers, the Ridge family were always good at spotting things," Thomas grinned. "The families that the Guardian could be from are mine, yours and Trish's. It will become evident as time goes on."

"One in three, I like those odds." Sean grinned back.

"Well, we have more important things to deal with right now, lets go and see about rescuing Trish."

#

Matthew Lee was relaxing quietly in his sitting room enjoying the final rays of the autumn sunshine that was filtering through the windows when the phone rang, he was surprised to hear Thomas's voice at the other end. "Leader, I wasn't expecting to hear from you until later."

"I know, I am with Helen, Sean and Nikki right now, I have filled them in."

"What has happened to cause such a change to our plans?"

"Sylvia Hollomby. She has kidnapped Trish."

#

Matthew drew in a sharp breath when he heard the news. "Then it is a good thing that you have revealed yourself, I feared that she might do something like this when she appeared the other day with that revolting policeman in tow."

"We will meet you at St Mary's, I think they will have taken Trish to the old monks cells."

"It would make sense, only the five families ever knew about those, and that was reduced to three when Nikki's Grandmother refused to carry on the family tradition and John Marsh got killed. I will go and prepare the church for your arrival."

Without another word, Matthew put down the receiver, before calling out to his wife that he was going to do the security rounds early at the church and that she wasn't to worry if he was late back, there would be some preparation needed in the church for the autumn solstice celebration that was taking place in the morning.

#

After feeling like they had spent the entire last few days jumping in and out of cars, Helen was relieved to find herself back at St Mary's, the evening was now fully upon them and the air had dropped chilly, with the sunset glowing its final rays of the day. In the gloom they made their way up the stone path, true to his word Matthew had opened the church doors, and was waiting inside the lit building. He bowed as they walked in.

"My Lords, Ladies," Mr Lee greeted them, still submissive in the bow.

Puzzled, Sean, Helen and Nikki looked at each other.

Thomas clarified Matthew's behaviour. "Don't forget, as far as Matthew is concerned he is from a lower ranking family and will behave as such."

They all looked uncomfortable at that, Helen especially. "But I'm not from any of those families. I certainly don't deserve such treatment. Looking at the others I would say they feel roughly the same way as me."

"Please, don't treat us any differently," Nikki motioned to Matthew that he should stop bowing. "I know that's happened in the past, but I think so much has changed, and it would make us all feel too awkward."

"If you are sure my lady?" Matthew stood up straight, glancing at Thomas who nodded at him. "If that is what they wish Matthew my old friend, then please do it."

"Very well, my Lord."

Thomas turned his attention back to the others. "But I would ask, please let Matthew carry on addressing you as he does, I think it would be unfair to ask for too much change of him so quickly."

Nikki didn't look completely happy but agreed anyway. "Alright, I can see your point."

#

Thomas made his way up to the altar; he bowed on one knee before it. After he rose back up he went and opened a well-concealed door in the wall behind, directly under the stained glass window. It was a door that they had all completely missed on their first visit. He removed a small flat, fabric-covered object, which he then placed on the altar, before closing the door. Thomas motioned to the others to join him as he removed the cloth. A wonderful gold container that hinged on one side lay before them,

"What does that contain?" Sean asked in awe.

"A key to a hidden section of the lands at St Mary's and St Peter's. The monks that lived here resided underground and many of the cells were preserved after the buildings were raised to the ground during Henry's attacks. It is the reason why this church covers such a large area, and the secret reason why the church council could not allow the ground to be sold off."

"Hence the legal battle," Helen nodded her understanding.

"Yes, if we had lost that then the entire history of the world could have been very different."

"Is what we are doing that big?" Sean enquired.

"Oh yes, but I doubt you will realize until it is all over how much is at stake."

"So how come you know how much is at risk here?" Helen felt that Thomas wasn't giving a totally truthful answer.

"Would you be ready for the answer I give?"

Helen looked at him carefully, trying to gauge his sincerity. "Now that I am at St Mary's, yes I think I would, I feel at peace here."

"And so you should, many righteous hands built this place, guided by Lucan's messenger."

"Thomas. You're trying to deflect the subject again," Helen sounded slightly annoyed at his attempt to divert the question.

"I am. I can see that you are not to be deterred though!"

"Aye, us Scots can get a bee in their bonnet, and right now mine contains a large angry one."

"I am of the family Waugh."

"Och, jeez man, you are so frustrating sometimes, what on earth does your surname have to do with my question?"

"Listen to what I am telling you Helen, trust your own instinct. I am of the family Waugh."

#

Helen thought long and hard about what he said, a suspicion gradually started to form in her mind. "Are you telling me Waugh is not spelt like that?" She said accusingly.

"You're getting there."

"But what does that have to do with your knowledge of what might happen?" Sean sounded completely lost.

"If it is spelt War, not Waugh, he is telling us his family name was chosen because it came from a war zone." Helen didn't take her eyes off her former fiancée.

"Pardon? Where on earth did a war come into this?"

"If I am right, Thomas is a bit older than I first knew." Helen held his gaze, unwilling to let his eyes leave her until she had got the truth.

Thomas grinned slightly. "I loved the fact that you were such a clever woman, I would have given up my quest for you. Tell them Helen, if you get anything wrong, I'll say."

At that moment Helen knew she was right about him. "He is the second Guardian. Not the Guardian's family but the Guardian himself. He came from a war zone, not here on Earth but in The Grith."

#

The others stared at her in disbelief.

"Oh, now I have heard that the tooth fairy is real," Sean expressed his disbelief. "That would make Thomas thousands of years old."

"And if he is the other Guardian, why didn't Carod stay the same age as well, he died." Nikki jumped in with her own concerns.

"Do you still want me to answer for you?" Helen asked Thomas. He just nodded, crossing his arms in front of him, looking relaxed.

"He is a Guardian Sean, and the reason he hasn't aged is because he didn't fall in love with a human, Carod did, that made him mortal."

"Partly true, Carod choose to become mortal as a result of his journey to Earth, however you are correct about me. Normally the only way a Guardian can change their destiny is to fall in love." Thomas clarified for her.

"Like you were prepared to do with me?"

"Like I was prepared to do with you," he acknowledged. The enormity of the sacrifice that he had been willing to make was obvious to everybody.

#

Helen felt she was thinking more clearly than she had ever done in her entire life.

"And the war is what, suspended? I would hazard a guess the outcome depends on what happens to these artefacts?"

"Correct. I cannot tell you who was involved or which side I was on. The choice of what happens has to lie with the decisions all of you will be forced to make before the end of this journey."

Helen dreaded asking the next question, but she had to know the answer. "Thomas, can you be killed?"

"Not in the conventional sense as you know it, but yes I can be removed from this Earth by force."

Helen nearly choked as she asked. "How could that be achieved?"

"It can be done with either of the swords."

Emotions swelled within her, buffeting her mind, all Helen could think about was the sense of loss she had felt when Thomas had left her. Vaguely, in the background she heard Nikki ask. "Why have we been chosen to carry out this task, surely it is not a random event?"

#

Thomas reply seemed to fill all the surrounding space. "Some in The Grith have become corrupt. Even with the modern world of corruption, there are still some humans of completely pure hearts and minds. You all belong to that group; this is why you have been chosen. You will know what is right when the time comes."

"You make it sound as though Armageddon will descend if we get it wrong." Sean spoke uncertainly. "It can't be that serious surely?"

"What does your heart tell you Sean?" Thomas's reply was measured.

"To be completely honest, it's telling me something which I don't want to comprehend right now."

"But if you search past those feelings?"

Reluctantly Sean replied. "I know if we fail then the world is plunged into chaos. Can't you give us any idea as to which is the right side to chose?" He asked desperately.

Thomas shook his head sadly. "I would love aid you, but I am unable to interfere that much. I will do all I can to help though." He turned to look at them in turn. "Your strengths include your love for one another, Trish is part of that, and she needs us right now."

#

The light levels gradually fell, and the room Trish was in slowly plunged into darkness, just before sunset her assailant had entered and had allowed her to eat some almost cold rice with beans that they had brought with them. As she ate they sat watching her in silence, unease slowly crept in and Trish hoped she wasn't going to be asked more questions.

To the blonde's relief once she had finished the plate was roughly taken from her and she was once again left alone. With the darkness the chill of the autumn air was keenly felt, and she sat on the bed, pulling the meagre blankets up around her, unable to completely stop the shivers which now beset her. Trish wondered how much that was to do with the cold and how much was reaction to the day's events.

Somehow every noise she heard seemed amplified, animals were scurrying about, and Trish was convinced a rat was digging in the corner of the room. She heard owls outside starting their nighttime hunts, but gradually even those noises eased down. Then she dosed, unaware of the length of time she had slept a new sound woke her with a start. Ears straining she listened, scrapping could be heard in the distance, as if a door was being pushed open against a floor. Apprehension mounted as Trish strained to listen to what sounded like footsteps making their way closer, convinced she was going to be forced to talk again Trish almost moaned in terror. The door slowly inched open, a light spilling in from behind the person who had opened it, dazzlingly Trish so she was unable to make out who it was that had come.

#

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15


	15. Chapter 15

©2005 revised 2011

Chapter Fifteen**.**

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#

Thomas led the way through the darkened churchyard, the crunch of their footsteps sounded loudly on the gravel path. Matthew had provided them with torches, which apparently he kept at the church for this very purpose. The cold night air was showing their breath as clouds of vapour, eerily steaming away into the night as they walked along in silence. The moon was partly obscured by the clouds that seemed to be scurrying along, hastened on their way by the keen wind that now blew. Nikki thought it looked ominously as though a late thunderstorm might be brewing. The earlier exchange between Helen and Thomas had un-settled her. The ease with which Helen had connected with him was disturbing.

Given that he had warned them about being too influenced in the choices that they were all going to have to make, Nikki hoped that Helen would not be too swayed by Thomas. Conflict between the group would serve no purpose right now, and part of her had to admit to being partly jealous of the closeness the two of them had displayed. Pulling her coat tighter around her to fend off the cold wind, Nikki remembered with a pang of regret that Trish would not have a coat, she hadn't needed to take one when she went to the museum, it had been warm enough without at that time of day. Nikki wished that she had thought to bring one for her but it was too late now. She didn't want to believe there could be any other alternative other than finding Trish alive.

#

"Oh no," Trish's heart sank when she realized it was her masked captors and not, as she had hoped her friends. In anguish she wondered what could possibly happen now, when suddenly she realized there were three people in front of her, and the new person hadn't bothered with a mask. Once Trish saw his face she lost all hope, she now felt nothing except despair. The longer her imprisonment went on, the less she expected to survive her ordeal, especially now the third person was involved in her capture. She just didn't have the energy to fight any longer. "What do you want?" The apathy sounded in her voice, but she no longer cared if they knew how she was feeling.

The cold emotionless voice she had grown so used to spoke. "We want to know what you have done with the relics."

"Which one?" Trish couldn't be bothered to hide how tired she felt.

"The robe from the museum."

That sparked a bit of defiance and hope in Trish. She wondered what that meant, had they indeed got the location of the robe wrong, or could she dare hope, even for a fraction of a second that the others had discovered what was going on and had managed to retrieve the robe. She decided to allow a little bit of curiosity to show. "But it should be at the museum. Surely you know I was only letting myself in when you found me there."

"And because of that we had to abandon the robe, we've just been to retrieve it, only to find it has gone, so where will it be?"

#

Trish's spark of hope leapt, growing with every passing moment, the others would be looking for her, now she was sure they knew what was happening. Why else would they have taken to trouble to get the robe to safety if they hadn't realized it was in danger of being taken by her captors? The big question was could they find her before things turned really nasty? The situation was going to need very careful handling on her part. If she gave her jailers the slightest hint that the others would be looking for her, it would prove highly dangerous for her, not something she wanted to happen. Carefully she answered. "I really don't know, honestly. I suppose I could hazard a couple of guesses, but that's all."

"Such as?"

"Well, one explanation is that somebody from the Villa site wanted it for a display, they do that occasionally and they all have keys, they would then email the museum or myself to let us know what they had taken."

Her captors looked at one another, and then the person who was unmasked finally asked the shorter of the other two. "You know how the system works. Is she telling the truth, could that happen?"

His voice caused the hairs on the back of Trish's neck stand up in fear. He had been the last person she had expected to see in charge of the other two.

Her suspicions about who the third person was were confirmed when they replied. "Unfortunately it does happen, she could very well be telling the truth, we certainly can't dismiss it as a possibility, I would also check house's again, but if it isn't at either of those locations then what do we do?"

The reply chilled Trish's blood. "Then we come back and deal with her."

#

Suddenly Thomas stopped, his hands outstretched to keep everybody silent, quickly he waved to them to hide in the churchyard, as he himself darted behind a gravestone, turning his torch off as he did so. Nikki couldn't see what had caused him to react like that, but obeyed anyway, only to hear a few seconds later the sounds of people walking along the path from the direction in which they had been heading.

Carefully glancing from behind the tree she was sheltering behind she made out two people in the moonlight, they were making their way along the path with some urgency towards the road. She followed them with her eyes as they disappeared from sight before she heard Thomas move back out from his hiding place.

"Phew. That was close!" She kept her voice low as she joined him along with the others.

"Do you think Trish is still ok?" Sean whispered, the concern obvious in his tone of voice.

"Let's hope so," Thomas responded. "At least we can be pretty sure that she's being held somewhere around here." He glanced around. "It's not far now, only a couple of hundred yards or so."

Without another word he led them off the path, and with practised ease navigated his way to the final destination without the aid of a torch, leaving the others to stumble along the grass in his wake.

#

Soon the Yew Tree loomed up out of the night sky, and without hesitation Thomas went over to the bench. Remarkably it could be easily swung aside when a piece on one of the arms of the bench was pressed down in a particular way, revealing the concrete base that it sat on.

"Of course. What a good way to hide an entrance to an underground structure. Even if it is a bit of a cliché," Nikki bent closer to admire the craftsmanship.

Thomas grinned at her. "Yep, sometimes the best way to hide something is to place it out in the open for everybody to see, it's an age old technique."

He knelt down and slid the thin key into the narrow crack that ran through the centre of the concrete, when he was satisfied her had found the correct spot he turned it and with an audible crack one side of the base rose slightly, allowing him to reach underneath and raise both sections by hand, exposing a narrow twisting staircase.

Before Thomas led them down into the hidden structure he turned to Matthew. "Old friend, please stand guard out here, if those two come back we need to know."

"As you wish my lord," Matthew bowed his acceptance of the task placed in him, before he helped them all into the underground caverns.

#

The temperature was noticeably cooler as they descended, the walls were built from rough-hewn sandstone, and amazingly considering they were underground, there appeared to be little or no damp. As archaeologists Helen and Sean kept reaching out to touch the stone, acknowledging the history in their own way, and resisting the urge to stop and examine things closer. If they had come across this in their professional capacity, both knew it would rank as one of the local archaeological finds of the last 100 years. Once they reached the bottom of the stairway Thomas surprised them by turning on an electric light, exposing a corridor, which reached out for some distance ahead of them, several small corridors branching off, obviously leading to other areas of the structure.

Thomas gave them a brief explanation about the lights, "Because this structure has helped protect the pact for many years, great pains have been taken to preserve it. The lights were fitted to help in that task, but in the main corridors only, we'll still need the torches to check the rooms. We'll be quicker splitting up into two groups. This corridor conveniently splits the whole place down the middle."

"I'll go with Sean then," Helen suggested. "Do we stand much chance of getting lost?"

"No, luckily it's not complicated, just large, about 100 small rooms in total. Nikki and I will take the left hand side if that's alright with you?"

Sean and Helen both nodded before they separated for the search.

#

Each room turned out to be the same. They were square and large enough to house a wooden bed, and table. Some of the rooms on the outer edges had got a small oblong window at the top of the outer wall. On closer inspection it became apparent that the windows were cleverly hidden from the outside because they were made to look like drainage channels. After ten minutes they had covered most of the structure, and they had all ended up outside a big heavy planked oak door at the end of the main corridor,

"So where does that lead?" Nikki, sounded worried. "Because if it's not anywhere they could hold Trish, I don't want to contemplate what they might have done with her."

"It leads to the Abbots chambers. About ten rooms in total, the main rooms are similar to the other ones out here, maybe slightly bigger. This is an awkward door to open though, so if Sean would give me a hand to push it please?" Thomas moved next to the door.

"Sure," Sean made his way to join Thomas. "What do I have to do?"

"Push at that point," Thomas pointed to an area on the central part of the door as he took up a similar position.

Between them they soon had door opened. Nikki decided that the tension she felt contributed to the noise the door made as it scrapped along the floor, making it seem ten times louder than it would have done.

"The electric doesn't extend this far." The Guardian shone his torch down another a few steps to short dark corridor, revealing a smaller door at the end.

Ignoring the less important rooms that led off the central area he made his way straight to the end. "If Trish is anywhere, I think she's most likely to be in here."

The others also turned their torches on, brightly lighting up the immediate area, pressing closely behind him as he opened the final door, the torches illuminated the interior beyond to reveal Trish huddled up against the far wall, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, she was rocking slowly backwards and forwards, shivering violently despite the blankets she had around herself.

"Oh, thank god!" Nikki cried out, rushing over to hug her friend, who could only sob in reply when Nikki asked if she was all right. As Nikki comforted Trish the others examined the chain that secured her to the floor.

"This chain was originally used to secure valuables against theft," Thomas said, the disgust obvious in his voice. "I never thought I would see it used for such evil purposes. I'll go and get a hacksaw or something off Matthew, we should be about 15 minutes. Will you be alright till then?"

"We'll be fine," Sean was quick to reassure the other man. "And if they come back, we outnumber them and have a score to settle." His voice turned ugly at the anger he felt over the way his friend had been treated.

#

The time it took Thomas to get back allowed Trish to compose herself. And although she didn't feel up to answering questions about what had happened to her, she demanded to know why Thomas was involved. They had just finished filling her in on the parts Matthew and Thomas played in the overall scheme of things when both returned. Matthew soon removed the handcuffs with the hacksaw he had brought with him. While he worked Trish finally felt composed enough to tell them briefly what had happened to her.

"So it was Bodybag that grabbed you?" Nikki asked.

"Yes, but Nikki, you'll never guess who is with her." Trish sobbed again, unable to stop herself crying. "I couldn't believe it when I saw him!"

"Well, surely it was Fenner wasn't it?" Nikki replied puzzled.

"No, there is a third person involved," Trish sobbed brokenly. "It was..."

"Me." a man stood in the doorway and interrupted the blonde, having entered unseen.

Nikki's stomach turned violently with dread when she heard his voice. Although she had her back to the door and despite the fact it had been many years since she had seen him, she could picture his face clearly,

"Peter," she finally managed to say, before turning quickly around. "Well, well, the black sheep of the family. I might have guessed those two snakes would turn to you for help, after all, birds of a feather flock together."

"Oh dear, is that any way to greet your older brother." Sarcasm dripped from every syllable as Peter moved slightly into the room, he had the same sort of features as Nikki, but unlike her was running slightly to fat, and his eyes gleamed with pure malice. "But of course I forgot, you and the rest of my stinking family disowned me years ago thanks to you. So when Sylvia phoned to say she and Fenner had information that might be of benefit to us all I knew I had to help, and when they captured dear old Trish I suggested they bring her here. I didn't show myself to her until quite late on. As you know pretty sister, I quite like to prolong the agony. I was amazed you didn't bother to check the other rooms in the Abbots quarters; you walked into my arms without me having to lift a finger." He sighed in apparent pleasure, "I always enjoyed watching you squirm, and I think I shall enjoy this more than most."

Feeling physically sick Nikki remembered how her older brother had delighted in causing her as much pain as possible when they were children. He would often tie her up, increasing the pressure each time just to see how long it would be before she begged him to release her. When her parents had found out what was happening they had disowned him. Nikki hadn't seen or heard from him since. Before Peter could say anymore Thomas stood up and seemed to suddenly dwarf everybody else, his voice boomed.

"And no more harm you shall do," he declared. "Your involvement in all of this is over."

Peter seemed amused by Thomas, his voice held a trace of humour as he answered,

"Oh, I see The Grith puppet can talk, yes I do know who you are, and sorry to disappoint you only what you ask isn't on my script."

Suddenly he removed one of the swords that they had found at St Mary's from underneath his jacket, and motioning everybody to stay where they were he carried on talking. "You see Fenner's a clever little boy, when prompted he can be useful and I decided that I wanted a closer look at Trish's house, so he conveniently let me in. As you can imagine I was quite pleased to find this," he smirked at Thomas. "I believe that this is the one thing that can harm you isn't it?" He brandished the sword in front of him as if to prove a point.

Keeping a wary eye on the sword Thomas replied. "That's correct, but you haven't got the other artefacts. The sword alone is useless."

"True, but I guess that Miss Stewart's house would be a good place to start once other possibilities have been looked into. In fact I understand that Sylvia and Jim would be heading there fairly soon, so I suggest everybody makes them selves comfortable while we wait to hear back from them. They, in turn will be pleased to know I have you all under my control. It makes our job easier."

#

Peter moved close to the door, effectively blocking any escape attempt using the very sword they had taken so long to find. Trish sat on the bed, still rubbing some life back into her wrist where the handcuff had been. Nikki and Helen sat either side of her, with Matthew, Sean and Thomas standing just in front of them.

"If those two get into my place and find the robes…" Helen whispered to Nikki so Peter couldn't hear her.

"I know." Nikki used the same careful tone. "Any ideas?"

"There is a small loose plank on the base of the bed," Trish told them, her voice still sounding slightly unsure from her previous ordeal. "If we can remove it unseen, could we use it as a weapon of some sort?"

"Peter was always overconfident, so if we can get an element of surprise we might be able to hit him with it." Nikki moved slightly to give Trish room to get to the planking. "I don't have any ideas about a distraction though."

"How about we use the torches to blind him, it will only give us a fraction of a second to act though." Helen said.

"It's got to be better than doing nothing. Right, Helen you get Sean, Matthew and Thomas to obscure Peter's view a bit more. Trish and I will get the plank, when we are ready, I'll cough twice, you four use your torches and I'll act from there."

#

Helen nodded, before carefully moving to whisper the plan in the men's ear's, Nikki knew they had understood as all three of them instinctively gripped their torches slightly harder as they moved to block Peter's view completely. Trish reached under the bed and carefully removed the short piece of timber, which she handed to Nikki, who then held it behind her back as she got up. Looking as though she was going to ask Helen a question, the taller woman coughed twice, The men moved aside quickly to allow her direct access to Peter, at the same moment they shone their torches directly into his eyes.

"Hey, what the," he exclaimed, holding his hands up trying to shield his face from the light.

Nikki moved fast, angling the wood to hit his arm, hoping to get him to drop the sword, all her years of anger went into that move and there was a dull sickening crunch asthe plank made contact. Peter yelped loudly,instantly dropping the sword onto the floor, and it clattered loudly as it hit the stone. Before Petercould recover Sean had darted forward and grabbed the sword, and, as Nikki swung her missile once again she knew that she couldn't bring herself to cause Peter too much harm, despite everything that he had done to her over the years. However, she also knew that Peter on the loose would not afford her the same courtesy, so she careful placed the next blow on his left kneecap. Her aim was perfect and he fell to the floor in agony.

#

"Well done," Helen praised her. "Trish do you want to tie him up, or if you can't face it, I'll do it."

"It would be my pleasure," Trish sounded pleased at being appointed that particular task. "He should be grateful Nikki isn't the revengeful type, those blows could have killed him."

She used the laces out of Peter's shoes to tie his hands together, which she then secured onto the chain they had used for her.

Thomas looked down at Peter with compassion in his eyes, "A broken wrist and damaged knee is a small price to pay for what you have done, Trish is right. You should be relieved it was no more than that."

"Go to hell, all of you." Peter spat back, still defiant, "I don't care what any of you losers think!"

"No, I don't suppose you do," Nikki answered sadly. "But you're still my brother and no matter what you do or think of me, a small part will always love you. I pity that you can't feel the same way."

Without another word she left the room and started to make her way back up to the surface.

#

After making sure that Peter was secured and as comfortable as he could be under the circumstances, the others followed her in silence locking the doors as they went. Once they reached the surface Matthew promised that he would keep Peter under lock and key until he heard back from Thomas or Nikki. The others knew that they had to try and stop Sylvia and Jim from getting to the robes at Helen's. And although Jim and Sylvia had a head start, they were hoping the pair of them would double check the museum first, and as they would also have to conduct a time consuming search of the house, everybody hoped that should give them a chance to catch up before the trunk was found. Sean kept a tight hold of the sword as once again they piled into a car. Thomas drove, reaching Helen's quickly and safely.

Before they got out of the car Thomas turned to Sean and said. "Stay here with the sword, but keep the car engine running, if anything goes wrong, you get that out of here, and we also might need a fast exit ourselves, if we get split up meet at Stonehenge at midnight. If everything goes to plan here then we'll go straight to Trish's to recover the shield and the second sword, alright."

Thomas looked at everybody to make sure they knew what they were doing; nodding to himself he was pleased to see the determination in their expressions.

He filled them in with the rest of his plan. "Ok, our top priority has to be to get the artefacts safe, but if your instinct tells you to do something, them I suggest you act on it, so far it has served you well, also don't forget that Jim and Sylvia will react badly to seeing us if they are still in the house so no heroics, I can deal with them so just get the robes if you can and get out, understood?"

They all nodded their conformation at his instructions and he looked at them with pride. "Alright, we may as well be as noisy as possible but only when we are inside the house, if we can surprise them it might just paralyse them for a short while, if we try and sneak in they will surely hear us anyway, which will cancel out any advantage."

#

Sure of the plan, they made their way quickly but quietly to the front door, Helen had the key ready and at Thomas's signal opened the door quickly, flinging it back with as much noise as possible. Everybody charged in the direction of the stairs, clattering the hall table as they went. Nobody else appeared straight away, so they reached the cupboard hoping that it hadn't been searched, Helen threw back the door with such force the stairs trembled. To her relief she saw the trunk appeared to be untouched, when she opened the lid the robes were still there. Rapidly she got them out, handing them to Nikki who was stood behind her, as an afterthought she also grabbed the scrolls which, earlier that day had also been placed underneath the robes for safekeeping.

#

Turning quickly around, they discovered that Jim and Sylvia had got over the initial shock of their entrance and now stood blocking the exit. Both gave the impression that they were snarling, it looked as though their lips had been drawn back, exposing their teeth.

Jim was the first to speak, his voice dripping with pure evil. "Give those to us," he demanded, his hand outstretched to receive the robes, then, as he suddenly spotted Trish, his pose changed slightly. He snatched his hand back and the anger within him seemed to intensify, and he gave a humourless death mask smile. "So they found you did they? Don't worry I'll get my pound of flesh out of you before this is over." No one in the hallway was in any doubt over the reality of his threat.

His grin rapidly faded as Thomas made his way to the front of the group. "You, how did you get involved in all this?" Jim's face paled slightly.

"I see you recognise me then, as I recall you knocked on the door earlier asking for Helen, I wondered why the women with you went so ashen, I see now it was Sylvia, I must have given you a shock. It's a shame I didn't recognise you, a lot of pain might have been avoided."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Sylvia added a bit of contempt to her tone.

"Because you have no real idea of who you are dealing with, you only know of me through your Mother." The reply was full of confidence.

"Oh, don't be so patronizing, that's it. I've had enough of this," Jim shouted, his impatience getting the better of him. "Give us the robes."

#

"No," Thomas answer was firm. "Let us pass and no harm will come to either of you."

Fenner just laughed, "I'm quaking in my boots, you wuss!"

Without warning Thomas seemed to grow, he suddenly appeared to fill twice the space he had done before, and although he spoke quietly his voice echoed in people's heads. "In the name of all good things you will let us pass."

Sylvia visibly cowered under his onslaught.

However Jim was not so easily swayed, "Ha, you don't scare me freak. You'll have to go through me, I'm not moving for anybody." He gave Thomas a sneer.

"As you wish," Thomas countered easily, then with incredible swiftness, and without seeming to move he had knocked Jim Fenner off his feet as if he weighed no more than a feather.

Helen clearly heard the oomph that Fenner made as he landed on his back outside the still open front door even though she stood well over fifteen foot away from his now prone body.

#

Sylvia rushed over to where Jim was lying. As she knelt down she wailed at him, "Oh, oh, are you alright Jim? Please say you're alright?"

Judging by the groans that issued from him, it was obvious he was still alive, but badly winded.

In the meantime Thomas seemed to shrink back to a normal size, but again, it was as if he hadn't moved, calmly he ushered everybody out of the house, as he secured the locks he turned to Jim and Sylvia. "That was a warning, stay away from us. Nobody wants lives to be lost. You are mixed up in something that you don't understand. If you persist in this I can not and will not guarantee your safety."

With a final act of defiance Jim wheezed. "Go to hell," as he struggled to sit up.

Thomas threw back his head and laughed, "Oh, I very much doubt that." His voice once again became serious. "Remember what I have said, you can't win this. Do not even try."

#

Thomas then turned to the others. "Come on, it's time to forget about these people, lets get this quest finished," he looked at Helen approvingly. "Well done in remembering the scrolls, they are central to this, don't let them out of your sight."

She looked at him questioningly, and cocked her head slightly to one side as she asked. "How is it you know so much but we know so little, you could obviously give us many of the answers that we require yet you don't. Half the time I feel like we are crawling around in a darkened room with no idea which direction we are heading in."

Thomas gave her a look of pure compassion. "I dare not interfere too much, you have to find your own path, that is the nature of this quest, but at the same time I love you too much to stand by and not help," Thomas was then quick to reassure her. "I'll do what I can, that I promise, right now that means going to retrieve the shield, the second sword and then finally all the artefacts will be back together as they should be. That will then present you with some of the answers you are looking for."

#

Helen looked at Thomas, trying to gauge his sincerity, unsure of his intentions. She knew that the artefacts held great mystical powers, they also had some scrolls that potentially had the power to turn the whole concept of life on Earth upside down, and yet she felt they had nothing except riddles and conundrums. She found herself confused. Ultimately which side would Thomas truly be on.

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12


	16. Chapter 16

© 2005 revised 2011

Chapter Sixteen.

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Leaving Thomas behind it didn't take the four of them long to reach Trish's house.

Upon entry they discovered a real mess. What was immediately obvious was that virtually the entire downstairs had been trashed. Jim and Sylvia certainly hadn't been tidy in their search for the sword. Chairs had been uprooted the cushions ripped and the fillings pulled out. Drawers were either hanging loosely in their runners or had been thrown around the place with the contents scattered.

Ornaments hadn't faired any better. Trish felt shocked and numb when she saw what had been done, she wandered silently through the place, occasionally she picked up a piece of wreckage and looked at it in disbelief before dropping it back down onto the floor. Before long they were standing outside the sitting room door.

Finally she spoke, and found her voice trembling, "I can't believe this." Looking at the others she carried on. "I don't even want think what damage they might have done in there."

Glancing around Sean could only shake his head in dismay. "I'll go in if you like?" He volunteered gently.

#

Unwilling to trust her voice any further Trish could only manage a nod in reply.

Gingerly he opened the door and poked his head around it to look into the room. To his amazement it had fared much better that everywhere else. With a sigh of relief he opened the door fully to allow the others to see. "Thank god it looks like they stopped ripping the place to bits once they found the sword." He knew exactly what Trish wanted to hear and was swift to reassure her. "Your Dads stuff is ok."

Quickly he reached over and hugged Trish tightly who had just burst into tears from the relief of finding out the things most precious to her had been saved from the destruction.

"I'm so sorry," she managed to blurt out between sobs. "You must think I'm a complete idiot crying like this." Trish sniffed loudly and took the paper hanky that Helen had proffered.

As she blew her nose Sean surveyed the remains of the hallway. "Looking at this and having seen the way they kept you chained up in the old monks' quarters I think you have every right to react a bit. Hell, it's a miracle that you haven't felt like crying before now. Talk about stressful."

"He's right," Helen went up and gave Trish a hug as well. "Look, you stay here with Sean and Nikki and I'll go upstairs and see if they got that far. OK?"

"Ok." Trish gave a brokenly sniffed answer. "I hid the second sword and shield under my bed."

"Good," Nikki abruptly turned, she'd been surprisingly quiet throughout, and she compounded that effect by leaving quickly to make her way upstairs. Helen rushed after her, worried at the reaction Nikki had given to finding the house like this. She hoped to discover what was on the tall woman's mind once they were alone.

#

They found the upstairs had been undamaged by the intruders and Nikki seemed to radiate angry energy, making Helen pause before Nikki stalked into the right room. Kneeling down to reach under the bed Nikki felt around and soon made contact with some metal objects. Without a word she pulled them out from under the bed. She drew in her breath at the sight of the shield. It still held that magical brilliance which had been apparent from the moment they had found it. Helen decided now was a good as time as any to tackle Nikki.

"Nikki," her voice was a bit hesitant, unsure quite what she was going to say. "You have been awfully quiet for a while now. I'm a wee bit worried."

Nikki looked at Helen, surprised at how openly she had been able to read her mood, the quiet concern stripped her of the anger she had been feeling and she abruptly sat down on the edge of the bed, nervously looking at the shield.

Helen sat at her side and took hold of one hand, "I don't know what it is that's bothering you, but something certainly is. I wish you would tell me about it."

Nikki looked up into the most intense eyes she had ever seen, nerves seemed to course through her body at high speed, she had never felt this awkward speaking to anybody before, and then, without thought she leant over and kissed Helen. Shocked at her boldness Nikki suddenly pulled away, unable to look Helen in the face. She was afraid of the horror that might now be in those beautifully penetrating eyes. "I'm sorry," she blustered. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Is that what this is all about?" Helen sounded as shocked as Nikki had felt.

Fretfully Nikki played with the edge of the shield with her hands only managing a nod at Helen's question.

Nikki heard the sharp intake of breath from Helen at her affirmative reply. She knew she had to explain herself, or at least try to. "I'm sorry, I had no right to do that, it's just that I had hoped to stop feeling about you in that way, especially with all this going on, but somehow the feelings I have for you have just got stronger and stronger as time has gone on. It's unfair of me to place you in this position," she stood up. "After nearly losing Trish I wanted so much for you to know how I felt in case I didn't get another chance. I don't expect you to forgive me for that, but I hope that you can understand."

Without another word Nikki left the room, leaving Helen still sitting on the bed, a myriad of emotions seemed to be playing across her face, of all the things that she had expected Nikki to say or do that had certainly not been one of them. Almost the bigger shock was how it left Helen feeling herself. She got up slowly and followed Nikki down the stairs

#

Unaware of what had happened, Sean and Trish were so relieved to see the shield in Nikki's hand they failed to pick up on the awkwardness Nikki was displaying as well as the delay in Helen's appearance, who had somehow remembered to collect the sword through her shock.

"We need to get back to St Mary's as soon as possible." Sean informed them.

Helen was shaken out of her contemplation and exclaimed. "Why?"

"Because if you remember before Trish was kidnapped a certain Guardian was going to get us to go there to try and solve this mystery. Sure we went there, but to rescue Trish, not to carry out whatever it was Thomas wanted us to do."

"You're right," Helen sounded distracted. "I should have thought of that myself."

"You've had a lot on your mind." Nikki said, wondering how Helen was going to react to what had happened. She was about to find out.

"Don't bloody well start making excuses for me Nikki Wade." Helen snarled, the Scots accent sounding more pronounced in her anger.

Shocked at Helen's outburst Sean and Trish suddenly became aware of the underlying tension between the two women.

Sean inwardly groaned, he guessed straight away what had happened, knowing Nikki for so long he was well aware that she would often act without warning, not from any malice but she was a woman who was passionate about her entire life.

Quickly he went to defuse the situation. "It's ok Helen. I know I nearly missed it."

She looked like she was still bristling, but slowly seemed to calm down. "Ok," She said, glaring at Nikki. "But I want to state here and now, we try and get this finished tonight. Understood?"

"Understood," sadly Nikki knew she was going to have to work hard to build up lost trust with Helen.

#

Helen fretted, leaning her head against the cool glass watching the countryside blur past the car window. She just wished she could work out her own feelings about what was happening. She loved Nikki; somehow she knew there was no doubt about that, but to love another woman? Sure, she'd had crushes but thanks to her Father's tyrannical behaviour it was a concept that she hadn't even thought about. The whole thing felt so wrong, yet it also felt so right. For that reason she had this unreasonable, unjustified anger directed squarely at Nikki. That knowledge of unfairly blaming Nikki alone was making her disposition worse.

The mood between Nikki and Helen was sullen the entire way to St Mary's. The negative feelings slowly crept through the air gradually affecting how everybody felt. Sean was concerned but was equally unsure about how to help his friends. In the end he decided he had to try and break the ever-increasing silence by asking Helen. "So, do you honestly think there's more at St Mary's?"

The snapped. "Yes," in reply indicated Helen had no desire to carry on a conversation.

Nikki just looked upset before slumping further into her seat and turning her head away to focus on the fields flashing past.

#

Sean and Trish stole a look at each other. Sean was sure that Trish's face reflected his own feeling. He was worried about how the obvious tension between Nikki and Helen was going to affect the search. He feared the emotions would cloud people's judgement and at this crucial stage it would be the last thing that they needed.

#

Reaching the church Helen was the first person to get out of the car, without even waiting for the others to alight she had started to storm off up the path. Her anger as apparent now as it had been when they left the house.

Half-heartedly Nikki followed. She looked as if the fight had been knocked out of her. Sean thought he saw her shiver, and he was convinced that it wasn't just a result of the cold night air.

When they got back inside the church, Helen rounded on them. The tension she was obviously feeling was betrayed in her tone of voice, she sounded strained when she said. "So, we look again. We must have missed something before. It's all to do with the swords and shield. Let's find it."

Without waiting for anybody to answer she turned sharply on her heel and went to look behind the altar. Nikki's head seemed to hang lower in her anguish and without a word she turned her torch on and made her way to where they had found the sword earlier.

Having made his own way back to the church Thomas surveyed the group unseen. Unable to help, he went and sat on the rear pew, folding his arms in front of him and closed his eyes as if he was in some sort of meditation.

#

Sean and Trish joined forces at the opposite side of the church to Nikki. Apart from anything it gave them an opportunity to discuss what had happened.

"So what do you think we can do to get those two at least talking to each other?" whispered Trish, obviously unwilling to let Nikki or Helen hear what they were saying.

Sean's tones were equally muted when he responded. "I don't know," he paused and looked around. "But if we don't get this sorted out then I dread to think what the consequences might be!"

"You've got a feeling of dread as well then?" Trish glanced up from looking for a clue.

"Yep."

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5


	17. Chapter 17

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Seventeen.

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Oblivious to the conversation between Sean and Trish, Helen found she was still fuming, and she was getting angrier by the minute because she couldn't quite work out what she was angry about.

Was it that Nikki had been so presumptuous in kissing her? Or was it the unwanted emotions that it had stirred inside of her? Questions swirled around her mind unchecked. Why was she so bad at dealing with feelings? After her break up with Thomas she had downed a few too many glasses of vodkas or wine just to avoid dealing with the issues involved, her biggest demons had always been her own tormenting thoughts.

After the kiss she had wanted to rush straight back to a glass and not think about what had happened ever again, in fact she hoped that once this was all over, that's what she would be able to do.

#

By contrast Nikki felt completely and utterly deflated. The dark haired woman knew that she had betrayed Helen's trust completely. Acknowledging in her mind, albeit sadly, that the beautiful Scottish woman had been right when she had said that this must end tonight. To be around Helen any longer would just feel too wretched and create too much anguish. With an effort, Nikki managed to filter out enough of her raging emotions to be able to concentrate on her dowsing. She looked around for something to use as rods and was surprised to find Matthew has appeared silently with a hazel branch, ideal for dowsing.

Of course when she thought about it she realized that Thomas and Matthew wanted her to dowse at the church, so would have been prepared. To get a starting point she silently made her way along to the drain where they had found the sword, as she expected she felt a residue, this would help her filter out anything not connected to the items they were trying to find.

#

Nikki made her first sweep of the area, surprised to find that with each passing moment her abilities seemed to strengthen, the more she did the easier she found it to identify objects. Suddenly, without warning she felt the rod pull. Not downwards as she had expected, but sideways, at perfect waist height to one of the stone crosses that adorned the walls of the church. Silently she felt around the edge of the stone, and to her amazement the bottom of the stone was very slightly out of alignment with the rest of the wall, certainly it wasn't enough for the naked eye to see.

Running her fingers along the base of the icon she heard a small click and a tiny panel opened along the lower edge. She only just managed to stop the piece of parchment that was concealed within the hiding place falling onto the floor. Nikki stood for a moment in wonderment, then, without understanding why she ran her fingers back along the base of the carving, and as if by an enchanted command it all clicked back into position and again looked as though it was no different to any of the other architecture within the church.

#

Meanwhile, Matthew had lit candles by the altar that cast an orange hue over the lower part of the church. Nikki made her way over there so she could look more closely at the find. The others must have realized that she'd found something, because without a word they all drifted over. Noticeably Helen kept very slightly apart from the rest of them.

Nervously Nikki spread the parchment flat. The writing was old, but also very neat. Nikki glanced up at the others, she found herself licking her lips, finding they had suddenly gone very dry.

The silence that surrounded them seemed very oppressive, quietly she read, her voice echoing eerily around the empty church. _"The time is right, Objects have been found. Seek guidance at the place of our ancestors. Only when the night-light and autumn stars are aligned can this task be fulfilled. After the silence of the night voices must be heard."_

Sean was the first to respond. "So that's easy. All we need to do is work out where the place of the ancestors is and what is meant by the night-light and autumn stars being aligned. Piece of cake, simple, now does anybody have any bloody idea what the hell that has to do with us wandering around the countryside with a shield, two sword and two robes?"

He looked up expectantly, hoping that by playing dumb it might force Nikki and Helen to start working together.

#

For one long horrible moment Sean thought that he'd failed, when suddenly Helen said in a resigned tone. "It's got to refer to Stonehenge, but I'm not sure about the night light and stars reference."

"Well, tonight is the autumn solstice," guessed Trish. "That could be one thing it's referring too."

"It's possible," conceded Helen. "But why allude to two lots of night lights?"

"The comet," said Nikki with conviction. "I forget what it's called now, but it comes into view tonight, Stars reference for the solstice, and night light for the comets tail."

Nikki didn't bother to say anymore, she just checked all the artefacts were safely with her before she made her way towards the church door.

Following close behind, Sean said. "To Stonehenge then, at least with the dig in place we can get onto the site without being hindered too much." Secretly he was disappointed more hadn't come of the dialogue between his boss and friend.

#

When they got outside Nikki was surprised to discover the weather had really changed, thunder now rumbled ominously in the distance. Both sheet and fork lightening would occasionally light up the sky, yet no wind or rain came with it. Without a word they all got back into Trish's car. Apart from that quick conversation with Sean Trish had remained silent throughout their whole time in the church, and she stayed quiet, sliding back into the driver's seat. Being close to Stonehenge, it didn't take long to get back to the place where the whole adventure had begun. The thunder and lightning stayed with them on the journey, but the wind and rain still kept away.

Within minutes of them arriving at the dig site they discovered that most of the equipment had been removed. A couple of policemen patrolled the borders but weren't within the innermost section of the Henge. The police were quite happy to let the car through as soon as they found out who was visiting. Sean just explained that they needed to examine where the scrolls had been found, and he and Helen had produced their identity cards to back up the claim. With the time limit involved on the dig permit it seemed natural to be making use of the night.

#

Trish parked the car in the same area that Helen and Sean had used only a few days ago, although after everything that had happened it seemed much longer than that. The grass was quite slippery from the night dew that now covered the ground, their breath showed up as dancing mist in the cold autumn night air and they all shivered slightly before pulling their coats tighter. After the warmth of the car the chill came as a bit of a shock. Looking around Trish asked. "Where now?"

Together Nikki and Helen pointed and said. "Over there."

They threw glances at each other. "How did you know that?" snapped Helen, and cringed when she heard the accusation in her voice.

"I felt it!" Nikki snapped back, equally cross that Helen had also got the right place. She didn't want Helen that closely involved if she could help it.

Helen shot back in the same kind of tone. "Felt it. You weren't involved in this dig."

"You and Sean said the geophysics result showed an odd area, it seemed the logical place to start."

Not used to having her judgement questioned in that way Helen backed off slightly before she did something she knew she'd truly regret.

#

A quiet descended, neither of them wanted to take the conversation further, Sean took the hint and led the group forward, the air almost seemed to sparkle with the tension and, as they made their way to the correct spot Trish looked back and called for the others to halt.

"What are you doing here?" Trish asked Thomas who had appeared out of the darkness. Before he got chance to answer Trish moved closed and added in a whisper. "Can't you help them? After all, you're the bloody Guardian, isn't that what you do?"

"Afraid not," Thomas whispered back, although the concern was obvious in his voice. "In these sorts of matters things have to find their natural level. Or the rest of us will end up living our existence based on lies."

Trish shook her head. "Why do you guys always have to talk in such a cryptic manner?"

The taller man gave a non-committal shrug as he raised his voice to answer Trish's initial question. "I guess you could say I'm your Guardian Angel," He smiled kindly. "I know that sounds clichéd, in fact, the whole thing is really," he gestured around him to add emphasize to his words. "I know that doesn't help you much, but honestly, it does become clear." He motioned for the group to carry on.

#

Sean, Trish and Thomas subconsciously dropped back leaving Nikki and Helen on their own in the slightly oblong hollow that geophysics had pin pointed earlier. The air suddenly seemed to crackle with a huge amount of static,

Sean found himself looking skyward hoping that the lightening didn't start up again, he decided he felt vulnerable out in the open, his attention was suddenly dragged back to the present by a painful nudge in the ribs by Trish.

"Look," she hissed under her breath, and when he focused back on Nikki and Helen he could understand why Trish had elbowed him.

Amazingly the area that they stood in seemed alight, not as though it was lit by lights, but it somehow the immediate area glowed, such and for some reason Sean got the impression that the light wouldn't be seen by anybody further afield. The strongest light burned in the space that separated Nikki and Helen.

Sean gulped nervously, clearing his throat before he managed to croak. "Ok, I see it." His voice then decided to give up completely.

Thomas was unmoving. Trish found herself hoping this sort of thing was normal for a Guardian. She groped around blindly in the dark of the night that still surrounded them and found Sean's hand. When she clasped it she was relieved to discover that it was trembling as much as her own. At that exact moment two figures shimmered into view.

Although not understanding why, Trish realized who they were seeing. "That must be Carod and Anharad," squeaked Trish, not trusting her voice to say anymore, Sean could only nod before gripping her hand even tighter.

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	18. Chapter 18

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Eighteen.

Nikki and Helen failed to notice that they were detached from the others. Entering the hollow the air seemed to get heavier, it interfered with their senses and Helen almost felt as though she were walking underwater, time seemed to slow.

If she thought something, her actions appeared to take a long time to catch up with those thoughts, but oddly, everything still felt coordinated, the overall effect was quite disconcerting. Then everything lit up, not in any conventional sense because the light was emanating from the space itself.

Instantaneously a loud crack assaulted her hearing, the noise seemed to come from everywhere all at once and two figures dressed in flowing robes appeared in front of them.

Straightaway Helen swore loudly. "Shit, for God's sake!"

In tandem Nikki said. "Bloody hell!" in equally loud tones.

#

There was no mistaking Carod and Anharad. Apart from anything, to see Anharad was like looking at Nikki's twin such was their likeness. Helen found herself timidly leaning forward, reaching out to try and touch the people in front of him.

She jumped back as if she had been burned, surprised when her fingers touched a solid form.

Anharad laughed, pleasantly smiling she said. "Things are not as they seem, if you wish us to be solid then that is how we will appear."

Helen looked down at her fingers before she answered. "I wish you had bloody well warned me, that sort of thing can give a person a heart attack." Helen knew she was being unreasonable, but right now, she needed to vent at somebody.

Anharad still seemed quietly amused by the whole thing. "Of course, and we do have the advantage over you because we know the history of what has gone before."

"I just hope that what you have to tell us can help us get this over and done with as soon as possible." Helen knew she was sounding sullen and petulant, trying hard to sound less like a stroppy teenager she added. "Oh, yeah, and how come you are speaking to us in such a way that we can easily understand you?"

"Don't be bloody stupid," said Nikki finally finding her voice. "They're English, what other language are they meant to be speaking, double Dutch."

Helen glared angrily at her in reply. "Oh, please, I would have thought that with what you do for a living it would have occurred to you that the ancient language spoken then was not like the English we speak now."

#

Anharad has started to look uncomfortable at the exchange going on between the two of them. She raised her hands in a placating manner as she begged. "Please, please, no fighting between yourselves, there is enough to be done here already."

Grudgingly Nikki held bit the sarcastic remark she was just about to fling in Helen's direction, Helen in turn scowled back but also fell quiet. Satisfied that the moment had passed Anharad answered Helen's question. "Like being seen as solid our language will adapt to what is needed, now," she turned towards Carod. "Dearest, I feel it is time that you tell them what you can."

#

She bowed in deference before stepping back to allow the whole focus to be on Carod, when he spoke his voice was as rich and smooth as honey mixed with the soothing sounds of a stream bubbling quietly down a valley on a hot summer's day. Nikki and Helen found themselves relaxing the moment they heard it.

"The scrolls came with me on my journey many years ago, they must be returned to fulfil The Earth's destiny, it is decreed that now is the time and that also makes it a dangerous period. Many would not want these scrolls to appear, they are scared by the words they contain. The two sides in this conflict will try and seduce you to their ideals, you must however be strong in your own belief, and your hearts will guide you."

"But how do get to where we need to be?" asked Nikki quietly, deeply moved by her ancestors words.

"Many things needed to be right to aid you on this quest, only now were the words able to be understood, only now did that coincide with the stars and the skies being aligned, this will allow enough power to be gathered using the Shield of Faith and the Swords of Spirit so the two of you can pass in your travels. When I came to Earth only the Shield could be used so I had to travel alone, now, with the swords your duel passage can be made." he looked expectantly at them. "Can you guess what events are special about tonight?"

Neither answered him straight away, as they concentrated Nikki's brow was creased in a slight frown.

Helen glanced at Nikki wondering if she wanted to discuss what the group had talked about earlier. Sensing Nikki's hesitation Helen shrugged and then decided to speak first. "Yes, the eclipse is tonight as well as the arrival of a comet…"

"…And like Trish said, I wouldn't mind betting that the autumn equinox has something to do with as well." Nikki unexpectedly finished the sentence seamlessly.

Carod looked pleased. "You have both worked it out well, tonight, as you foresaw, the comet passes as a lunar eclipse happens. The solar energy this creates can be harnessed with the shield and swords and that will create a stable portal you can pass through. When I came the scrolls changed shape from an orb to what you have now, however they will not need to change again, you will arrive with them as they are." Seriousness then crossed his face. "But be aware you must make sure that in order to transport you safely both the shield and swords have to be used, not to do so will create too small a portal and you will fail. Thomas will help you all he can."

#

Having uttered his final words the images around them began to fade. Nikki looked around wildly. "No wait," she said, panic in her voice, "What do you mean the two of us?" She looked across at Helen. "I don't want to upset you any further, you've done enough," Nikki looked back at Anharad who had somehow halted her transformation, and desperation crept into Nikki's tone. "Surely Helen's done enough?"

Anharad's image strengthened for a brief moment, her enigmatic grin so like Nikki's. "But my sweet, she does have to be with you, remember only a Wade supported by those whom love her can fulfil this destiny."

In an instant the light winked and it was all gone, leaving everybody blinking in the sudden darkness.

"Crap," Nikki scrabbled for her torch. She caused people to blink more rapidly when she turned on its powerful beam, casting a ghostly hue over people's faces.

Nikki turned it on Helen's face. "Look, I… I…" her voice faltered, unsure of what to say.  
Before Nikki had chance to continue Helen spat. "Great chat up line your family uses." The ice dripped off every syllable. "Quite why they would think that I would feel love for you is beyond me."

#

Nikki finally had enough and snapped at Helen's condescending manner. She poked the torch angrily in her direction as she countered. "And considering your stuck up little ways I'm beginning to think that there must be a mistake as well Ms All high and Mighty. Oo I bet you used to be the school sneak, you know the sort, the ones who ran to the head teacher." She mimicked a child's voice. "Sir, Sir, so and so has got such and such in the school and that's against the rules Sir! Of all the insufferable people I could have ended up with and I get you."

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Nikki turned away in fury and in the dark missed the tears that started to roll down Helen's face after her tirade. Helen never felt more alone. The anguish she felt was like nothing she had ever come across before. Her emotions were torn to shreds, with what she had been going through after her break up with Thomas the last thing that had occurred to her was that the person she was meant to be with was this woman, and right now, she had no idea how to deal with it. All she could think about was what her Fathers reaction would be. She could see it now, him losing his temper and shouting. 'You're making a pact with the devil, that's what you're doing, it's unholy.'

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Helen wiped his face, glad of the blackness from the night so the others couldn't see her weakness. After a brief second, she felt composed enough to join them. Nikki stood slightly to one side, clearly indicating her desire not to talk to any of them for the immediate moment. An uneasy silence had descended and nobody seemed quite sure what to say. Helen decided to speak first, if nothing else it meant she could push some of the thoughts to the back of her mind. Even though she knew that was only going to be a temporary stop-gap.

#

Making sure her voice was steady and not portraying any of the emotions she was feeling Helen turned to Thomas. "Ok, if we have to do this, then we have to do this, but that doesn't mean that we have to be happy about it. However, there is no point in asinine discussion, so how do we form the portal?"

For once Thomas looked unsettled and nervously cleared his throat before he answered. "Erm... Ah... Right...Well, I can control the shield, that's the hardest part. I need Trish and Sean to each use one of the swords. When I tell them they should touch the edge of the shield. That will act like a magnet to the forces we need, and in turn will create the portal. Once you step through it may be a fairly rough ride, although I believe Carod had a worse time of it. With the extra energy from the swords hopefully that won't be too much of a problem for you. Wearing the robes will help reduce any adverse effects and will provide protection when you reach the other side."

Nikki finally spoke. "Do we need to be anywhere in particular?" her voice was calm but held quite a hard edge to it.

"The middle of the Henge would be the best place."

"Fine." Nikki wasted no time in making her way to the centre of the stone circle.

#

Trailing behind their friends Sean whispered to Trish. "You know, I've never seen Nikki this mad or Helen this defensive."

Trish nodded. "Even though I don't really know Helen I agree." She glanced around making sure nobody else could hear them, the worry plain in her voice. "I sure hope that they get this sorted out. The way Nikki walked off then. If she was an actress I think that would have been described as an angry flounce in the script. I didn't think she was capable of such a manoeuvre."

The conversation was brought to a halt once Nikki reached the place that Thomas had indicated. She turned to check it was the right spot. "Here?"

Thomas nodded. Silently Helen took a robe off him. Putting it on it seemed to adjust to fit her perfectly, to those watching on the robe seemed to flow and ripple into the ideal shape.

While she put on her own robe Nikki had to turn away painful aware how stunning the garment had made Helen look. Sean set the rucksack on the floor and removed its precious cargo. Wordless he handed the scrolls to Nikki and she nodded her thanks. Thomas came over and took the shield. Sean and Trish both held a sword suddenly looking incredibly nervous.

"How long?" Nikki asked.

"We have got here just in time," Thomas looked around to check the relevant night sky. "The eclipse is almost total, any minute now." His attention fell to Sean and Trish. "Just follow my instructions, once they pass through the threshold they will be safe but we can't afford to break the contact before then."

Thomas held the shield out in front of him, and the immediate space seemed to contract, sounds in the background vaporised away and the group found themselves left in total silence. Faraway a deep rumble started, it was like distant thunder but it didn't fade, edging nearer, echoing and reverberating, causing the ground to tremble. Lightening joined in, brightly illuminating the night, people living in the local area marvelled about how close together the strikes seems to be, blissfully unaware of what they were forming.

#

Thomas directed the face of the shield towards Nikki and Helen, shouting to make himself heard over the rumbling. "Join hands and walk into the portal the moment it forms. Ok, Sean, Trish, you need to be on my right side, hold hands as well and with your other hand touch the swords to the edge of the shield."

Wordlessly they all followed the instructions. The second the shield and swords touched the air felt charged with electricity. Nobody had time to form a coherent opinion before the light from the tail of the comet streamed out of the night sky as if sucked towards them by a giant vacuum.

The moment it made contact with the shield it imploded back on itself and the group found themselves looking at a bigger version of the portal that had brought Carod to Earth. Helen didn't want time to think so grabbing Nikki's hand hard she made her way towards the threshold. She was aware of the others on the periphery of her vision, brightly illuminated by the portal.

Just as they went to step over the threshold Helen realized there was a commotion, out of the corner of her eye she saw Fenner appear on the edge of the stones, she heard Nikki try to shout a warning, she'd obviously seen him as well.

#

With horror and unable to do anything they watched helplessly as he ran forward and stabbed Trish in the heart, then the world closed around them as they travelled the portal's path. All Helen could hear was complete heartache and suffering from Nikki's screamed. "No!"

#

The moment Nikki and Helen had been drawn through the portal Sean dropped his sword and knelt by Trish's body, he knew she must have been killed instantly and everything around him seemed to slow to a crawl, numbly he rocked backwards and forwards as he cradled her head in his arms.

Remotely he noted the look of triumph on Fenner's face, closely followed by fear as Thomas advanced towards him. The ground shook and the words echoed from the force behind Thomas's intonation. "You shall pay for what you have done here tonight."

The vestiges of the portal still radiated off the shield that Thomas now pointed directly at Fenner who tried to back off looking like a frightened rabbit caught in car headlights. Raising his tone Thomas commanded. "You will be tried for this crime, but not in this realm." the light flashed, engulfing Fenner who disappeared in an instant.

Thomas made his way over to Sean who now had tears running down his face. "You can bring her back can't you?" he asked beseechingly, looking intensely at Thomas. "Please tell me you can bring her back." his voice faded, Thomas reached out and gently took his hand as he answered. "I wish I could, but this was not foreseen."

"Is there nothing you can do?" Sean looked down at Trish, without realizing it he was gently stroking her face. "I never got to tell her I loved her." Sean looked back up at Thomas. He could hardly be heard between the sobs that now racked his body. "I always loved her, but I didn't think she would ever be interested, I never got to tell her how I felt."

Carefully Thomas stood, removing Trish's body from Sean's grasp. The Guardian easily cradled Trish in his arms. "I will see what I can do," he said. "I need to leave you here. Will you be alright?"

"If you can help Trish," the sobs faded slightly. "Please Thomas," Sean begged. "Do what you can."

"I promise."

#

Still carrying Trish's body Thomas walked towards the middle of Stonehenge, he started to slowly spin around, chanting an unknown language as he did so. Without warning there was a flash of light and he disappeared leaving Sean in his desolation. Sean felt more wretched than he had every done before.

#

Helen flinched, the pounding in her head was disorientating, the journey had been quick, and the moment the gravity in the portal had pulled them through the threshold, the tunnel sides had faded leaving a blackness that had surrounded her vision. A small dot of light had rushed towards them before they were unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Helen didn't want to open her eyes until the feelings of nausea had passed, but she knew that they were outdoors. She could feel the sun and the breeze as well as the softness of grass underneath her.

Gradually Helen took control of her senses and opened her eyes. Pleased to see that Nikki had landed only a foot away from her. Nikki still had her eyes closed and was trembling, they were both on their knees, Helen crawled over to where Nikki knelt. Tenderly she reached out and touched the other woman's face. "Nikki?" her concern was palpable. "Nicola?"

"She's dead isn't she?" the pain Nikki felt for the loss of her friend was unmistakable. Her voice sounded strangely dull, and it was completely flat and devoid of all emotion. The humanity and compassion that Helen felt at that moment wiped away all the anger she had been feeling. Only an overwhelming desire to take away the hurt Nikki was experiencing remained.

#

"Welcome to my realm," the sudden voice behind them made them jump.

Helen tried to get to her feet but found herself tangled up in the robes, and in a most ungraceful manner fell face first onto the ground. Spluttering to remove some grass from her mouth she felt like swearing but didn't. "Where did you come from?" She demanded as she finally managed to untangle herself and stood to look at Thomas. He stood dressed in leather and light chain mail with a sword hanging at his side.

"The normal routes to get here apply to me. It gives me instant access to where I need to be. Time does not work in the same way."

Nikki suddenly sprung into life. "You bastard," she screamed and jumped up with her arms flaying to hit Thomas repeatedly in the chest. Thomas made no attempt to stop her onslaught. "You complete and utter bastard! Why didn't you stop him? You could have stopped him. Why didn't you stop it from happening?"

Suddenly, as quickly as it had arrived her anger gave way to uncontrolled weeping and emotionally exhausted she slumped back into Helen's embrace.

#

Helen kept her voice low. "Was there anything that you could have done to prevent that happening?"

"No, I'm afraid not, I've already told Sean that the event was unforeseen."

'My god' thought Helen, 'Sean, I had forgotten all about him', saying aloud. "Is he alright?"

"Naturally upset."

"So what now?"

"There is a slim chance that the deed can be undone."

Helen felt her heart rise slightly and Nikki reacted by raising her tear-streaked face to look at him.

#

Thomas carried on explaining. "I brought her body back with me, it's a rare occurrence but in extreme circumstances the body and spirit can be reunited in this realm, that in turn can lead to a person being sent back unharmed. The conditions set down are strict, I pleaded Trish's case and was granted a partial amnesty, and on the outcome of your choices Trish will either stay here in spirit or eventually return home with you."

"Will we be able to see her?"

"Soon, first you will need time to recover from the journey, and then you must meet envoys from both sides in the conflict."

"Does Trish know what has happened to her?"

"Yes, and she is looking forward to seeing you both."

#

Helen could almost feel the strength returning to Nikki, and focusing on her she said. "Don't rush it, that's one hell of a lot of emotional turmoil to feel in such a short space of time. Are you alright?"

In answer to the question, Nikki pulled herself away from the physical support that Helen had been providing. "I'm Ok," although she didn't sound too sure. "We have to get this doubly right now, Trish is depending on us."

Nikki looked around, for the first time since their arrival she was able to take in their surroundings. "My God, it's beautiful," she said in awe, her voice getting stronger all the time. The had arrived in a small valley, the slopes were densely wooded and a small brook babbled its way down the field, however the main difference was the colours, it all seemed a lot crisper than Earth, and everything stood out more.

#

Finally, Nikki turned her attention back to Thomas and said timidly. "Sorry I lost the plot."

"You have nothing to apologise for, your reaction was natural."

"So apart from telling us about Trish, is there another reason why you are here?"

"Yes, because I came back unexpectedly it was decided that rather than give you another guide and guard I would stay. It may help that you already know me, but the rules stand as before, I can only guide, the choices have to be yours and yours alone."

He gestured to the sight before them. "Behold my home, its beauty is all that it seems, I trust in you to make its future secure."

#

#


	19. Chapter 19

© 2005 revised 2011

**Note on this chapter: The doctrines mentioned were talked about as genuine examples from Scottish people I have spoken to.**

**#**

Chapter Nineteen.

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#

Sean made his way back to the car, carefully carrying the swords and shield. Every step he took felt like a lead weight, and he wondered how long it would be before he knew how Thomas had got on. The fear that he may never see his three friends again was overwhelming. He could feel the tendrils of malaise creeping into his mind.

He tried desperately to push them away knowing that they wouldn't help him now, and with a pain that he didn't think he could bear, it suddenly occurred to him that he had nowhere to go, in times of trouble Trish or Nikki had always been around. He'd just assumed that when Nikki and Helen left he would still have Thomas and Trish with him. Now he had no one to turn to.

#

He put the artefacts safely into the boot and was about to get into the driver's seat when he suddenly realized he was not alone, hidden in the approaching dawn light and cowering against Fenner's car was bodybag. She looked terrified, and he thought to his satisfaction that if she'd witnessed what Thomas had done to Fenner then she had every right to feel that way.

Part of him knew that he felt angry, he wondered if he should confront the woman, however he was too tired to bother and deciding that she wasn't worth the effort he got in the car without uttering a word and started to drive off. Reaching the road he didn't think about where he was going but just drove blindly, seeing where he would end up.

#

Without comprehension, Sean found he was opposite the entrance to Nikki's parent's farm. Knowing they had a right to know what had happened Sean wondered what to do. He didn't know if he could bear to be the one to give them the news. He sighed heavily. A large part understood his obligation to Val. With a heavy heart he drove in, as he got into the yard and despite the very early hour, Nikki's mother yanked open the door the moment she heard his car pull up.

Val rushed over and without a word hugged him when he emerged, then, taking his hand she led him into the kitchen and sat him down at the table. Sean hung his head in his hands as she put the kettle on the range.

She sat down next to him and gently grasped the hand nearest to her. "You can tell me when you're ready."

#

Over ten minutes later, Sean realized he was thirsty and had quickly drunk the offered mug of steaming, aromatic Earl Grey tea. Then he'd told Val the whole story, and to her credit, not once had Val interrupted him. Often he would stop, taking time to overcome the grief that was trying to swamp him.

When he reached the part about Trish's death he couldn't find the courage to tell Val what he had told Thomas about loving Trish, it was all still too raw and painful. Eventually he finished, and was shaking violently now he was unable to control his emotions any longer.

#

Val went over to embrace him. No words were needed. She waited patiently until he had some control over how he was feeling before she asked. "Did you ever tell Trish you loved her?"

He started. The shock of her question had stopped the tears from falling once again. "How... how did you know?" He stuttered.

"Oh, Sean, I missed many things, but it was always obvious how you felt about her. OK, maybe the two of you failed to see it but everybody else saw it. You both lit up when the other appeared, and yes, before you ask, if her reactions were anything to go by she felt the same way."

"I don't know if I feel better or worse for knowing that." Sean sounded so lost Val's heart broke for him.

"Maybe, but, we know there is another realm, if you are not going to be together in the present then that woman will walk over hot coals to be waiting for you."

"Do you honestly think so?"

"Yes. There is more than one path of love in this story."

"You knew straight away that Helen was the one to help Nikki?" Sean was amazed at Val's insight.

"Oh yes," she stood and started to tidy up. "What I couldn't say when you all came over was that a description had been handed down over the years of the woman that would aid in this, the moment I saw Helen I knew it had to be her."

"You say that so matter-of-factly."

"Yes, I suppose I do, but I've had many years to mull this whole thing over, you have only had a few days."

"But you couldn't say anything."

"No," she paused from the washing up. "I wish I could have, but things need to find their own course, like you and Trish. Until one or both profess their true feelings no-one can really interfere. Sure, we can drop hints, push someone in the right direction but that's all. I guess it's one of life's little unwritten laws. Plus, I knew Nikki would still be feeling raw over Sue's death. I just hope Nikki realises that she can trust somebody else to be faithful with her feelings."

"I wish you had said something to me about Trish."

Val smiled. "No you don't, you say that now, but you know damn well that if anything had been said earlier you would have run a mile in fright."

Sean thought about what she'd said, and grudgingly he had to agree with her, yes, if anybody had said anything he would have almost certainly hidden his true feelings even deeper than he'd already done.

#

Sean had a sudden thought. "You knew something had happened tonight."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you came to the front door as though you were expecting me."

Val finished what she was doing before sitting back down to answer him.

"Yes, I think I was expecting you, although I must admit the bit about Trish shocked me, I did anticipate seeing the two of you. The moment I heard the rumbling thunder last night I knew that the prophecy was being fulfilled."

"Are you worried about them?"

Val reached out and clasped his hands, when Sean looked up into her face he realized there were tears in her eyes as she said quietly. "Of course I am. I'm worried about all three of them. Nikki is my daughter and I love her dearly. Helen is meant to be with her so I feel as much for her as I do Nikki. Trish has been a good friend and a part of this family for as long as I can remember. I want them home safely, and you want Trish back. But all we can do is keep vigil."

#

The walk to the edge of the valley hadn't taken long. Thomas took them there at a gentle pace giving them plenty of time to take in a bit more of their beautiful surroundings. Once they reached a heavy line of trees Nikki and Helen could see where they were going. Nestled in the planting, perfectly camouflaged was a large dark green square tent, complete with two chequered banners flying from the central pole.

One was a royal blue and white standard, the other dark green and gold. Both were edged with a thin strip of black. Helen decided it looked like something from a Hollywood medieval film set.

Pointing to the flags Nikki asked. "What do those colours symbolize?"

"The blue and white is Helen's, the green and gold is yours, they represent the colours of your ancestors." Thomas clarified.

"Huh, that could explain why I have always liked those colours."

#

A couple of men dressed in white robes stood slightly to one side of the tent entrance, their heads were bowed in greeting.

"These men have volunteered to aid and guard you, if you need anything just ask them." Thomas expounded before he led them inside. The interior was discreetly decorated, warm and inviting. A freestanding wood burner sat in the corner with a fire blazing, adding extra warm. Comfortable chairs sat around a small oblong table that was filled with simple foods of cheeses, olives, breads and fruits. There was also a large selection of drink. Nikki and Helen wouldn't have been surprised if they could have ordered anything that they wanted. At the back, a couple of sections stood screened off with plain, heavy dark blue drapes.

#

Thomas indicated that they were welcome to sit down. "This is deemed a neutral point and so it is where you will meet the envoys," he gave them the details they needed to know. "However, before then may I recommend that you eat, you may also wish to freshen up?"

He pointed to the right hand side of the drapes. "You will find all you need behind there," his attention focused on the other side. "And behind there is a sleeping area. Due to the unanticipated actions of Fenner, both sides have agreed to a settling in period, when you feel up to meeting them I will arrange the session for you. Until that time I shall wait outside, please call me if you need anything or to let me know when you are ready to start."

#

"Thomas, stay in here with us, I hate to think of you outside as though you were some kind of servant." Helen pleaded.

"Helen's right, if you are outside it would make it look as though you were not worthy to be with us and you are far from that." Nikki went up to him and gently placed her hand on Thomas's arm to reinforce what she had said.

"Thank you," Thomas's smile was good natured. "Your consideration is most welcome, however I would feel happier outside." He raised a hand to silence their objections, "I promise I won't feel second rate by being out there, it is purely a strategic move, and I do not want either side trying to influence you before the first meeting takes place."

"You don't think they would try and hurt us do you?" Nikki sounded worried.

"No, not at all, but they may try and curry favour with you."

"Well, so long as you are sure."

Thomas nodded that he was happy with the arrangement before making his way outside.

#

Nikki collapsed into the nearest chair. "Thank goodness we don't have to do anything straight away. I feel knackered, and have a hunch that I could sleep for a week."

Helen sat in the chair next to her. "I know what you mean, but I think it would be a good idea to eat something first." She reached out to pass Nikki the nearest platter of cheeses, "I've lost total track of time, and God only knows when we last ate."

#

A short while later Helen sat back in her chair. "Well, that's me well and truly stuffed."

Nikki put her plate back onto the table, "I don't think I've ever eaten so much. And was it just me or did that taste miles better than anything we are normally used to?"

"I think it could be that everything here is better," Helen yawned. "I don't know about you but I'm shattered." She stretched her shoulders trying to remove the kinks that had built up.

"Come on. I guess it's time to catch up on some sleep." Nikki got up and helped Helen from her chair.

Making their way behind the screen Helen stopped short. "Oh!"

Nikki looked at her. "That makes you feel uncomfortable doesn't it?"

"Yes, sorry, I am still having trouble getting my head around the whole thing. Please don't take that the wrong way."

"I won't, look. I'll sleep in a chair if that makes you feel any better."

Helen was grateful for Nikki's understanding. "No, I'll be ok."

"Alright, so long as you're sure." Nikki sat down on the lone double bed that they were obviously meant to be sharing.

#

Getting ready to go to sleep Nikki's curiosity got the better of her and while Helen was in the other section getting changed into the nightclothes that had been left out for them she tentatively decided to inquire. "Look, I know I've been a right vixen since we left Trish's, and I'm truly sorry about that, but why does the idea of being in a relationship with me make you so nervous?"

Helen took time to think about her reply. "It's not the concept I am against, it's just that I have had so many years of trying to live up to my Father's high standards," she sighed. "He would disown me if I was in a relationship with a person he didn't approve of, and a lesbian would certainly qualify. As far as he is concerned that would be the Devils work."

"God, he sounds a hard man. Ok, maybe my lifestyle is not universally welcomed but a parent to turn their back on somebody they should love unconditionally just seems so extreme."

"Maybe, but he is a harsh man, not helped by the early death of my Mother. All that did was cement his strict views on such matters. We lived by exacting doctrine my entire childhood. Examples include the fact my mother wasn't even allowed to cut her hair. We were banned from dancing and woe betide _anybody_ who dared laugh on Sundays."

Geez," Nikki was horrified that such principles were still being adhered to in this day and age. "Would there be anything that would make him more open to the whole thing?"

Helen appeared through the drapes, she paused from brushing her teeth. "I honestly don't know," she sat down next to Nikki. "If I lost him through this I need to be certain that I can live with that loss." She put the toothbrush down on the nightstand and sat with her hands in her lap.

She looked so despondent that without thought Nikki gently took hold of Helen's hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "I can't say how I feel right now, because that wouldn't be fair on you. However, I respect you. You have honesty, integrity and compassion, and that means a lot. If your Father refuses to acknowledge those traits simply because they don't fit in with his ideals, then he's the loser in all of this."

A sigh escaped Helen's lips. She closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "For the first time I can honestly say I'm not trying to worry too much about what my Father thinks. It's challenging though."

They separated and slid under the bedcovers. Nikki couldn't settle and soon found herself asking in a small voice. "I could use a friend right now."

Helen didn't reply but reached over and gently pulled Nikki towards her, and allowed the taller woman to her to rest her head against her shoulder. "Aye, I can be that," she murmured.

#

Helen woke with a start forgetting where she was for a moment. She looked wildly around wondering what she was doing there, when suddenly the whole thing came back to her and the panic subsided.

She leisurely yawned and stretched before realizing Nikki wasn't beside her. Helen thought about what had happened last night, or rather what hadn't happened. After Nikki had moved into her embrace she had said goodnight, and was soon asleep. Helen was left feeling completely confused, but she was grateful that they had managed a small talk about how they were feeling.

She got up and looked through the drapes, Nikki was pouring what looked like coffee into a cup, and she turned round when she heard Helen. "Hey, sleeping beauty is awake."

She saw Helen give an involuntary flinch at her choice of words. "Sorry I tend to say things automatically. I forgot that you would still be feeling a bit fragile after I hijacked you last night."

Helen smiled. "Thanks, it really is just me," she sighed, "I will get my head around this I promise."

"Well, try not to worry about it now," Nikki gestured, "What would you like for breakfast, I think they've thought of everything."

Helen sat down. "Is there toast and coffee?" She asked hopefully.

"Yep," Nikki leaned over to hand her some. "I don't know how they do it but it stays perfect."

"Do you know if Thomas is still outside?"

"Yeah," Nikki looked thoughtful. "And I'm not sure why but I get the feeling he's worried about something."

"Has he said anything?" Helen queried.

"No," Nikki said puzzled. "I can't quite put my finger on it, call it a gut reaction if you like, you might be able to get more out of him."

"Ok, if we get chance I'll have a go."

Nikki's tone grew more sombre. "Yes, and we had better think about greeting these 'envoys', I wonder who they will be, and whom they represent?"

#

Outside Thomas was pacing nervously, he knew the time of the meeting was inching closer, and yet, for some reason he was feeling unsettled by the whole thing. If he could smell emotions in the air he decided he would have been smelling treachery. The only problem was he had no idea where it was coming from.

Suddenly, he saw a column of dust rising in the distance indicating the arrival of one of the parties involved. Putting aside his concerns he entered the tent. The other guards were already inside clearing the table of the breakfast things and making it ready for the meeting. He waited patiently until they had finished before he spoke.

"The first of the envoys are arriving. I can delay them if you want?"

Helen looked at Nikki. "Are you happy to get things started?"

"We may as well, the sooner we can begin, and then hopefully the sooner we can be finished." There was no hesitation with her reply.

"I will direct them to wait outside until the other party has arrived." Thomas said.

With Thomas leaving them to their own thoughts, Helen voiced what they women had been thinking. "I wonder if we'll recognize any of the arguments they put forward."

"I know. You start to wonder how many legends on Earth started a result of contact with Guardians."

"Phew, scary thought, I guess it could be anything. And the way things have been going I'm not sure we can rely on information we're given."

"True, the most I trust is Thomas."

They heard the sound of horse's hooves beating across the ground slowly getting nearer before halting outside. Thomas' voice carried on the breeze, but they couldn't make out what he was saying, or what any reply might have been.

#

A few minutes later a second column of riders arrived. Quickly they dismounted and stood to one side, both sets of troops looking nervously at the other. Thomas went through the ranks confiscating all weapons. He handed them to the other guards for safekeeping before he returned to the tent.

"That's it. Both envoys are here, I will bring them in together before making introductions. It may be tricky if one is given preference over the other, I can't see how that can be avoided in the introductions though."

"How about drawing lots to see who gets first shot?" suggested Nikki. "That way it should appear fairer."

"A good idea. I shall suggest it to them, if they are agreeable then I will draw the lots before they enter," Thomas went back outside.

#

Shortly afterwards the tent door flap was pushed right back to allow two tall, handsome men into the main area, one was light, so much so he appeared almost translucent. The other by contrast was the complete opposite, the darkness and density of his mass seeming oppressive.

Thomas gestured towards the table, indicating that everybody should take a seat. Nikki and Helen sat at the top end of the table nearest the draped areas. While the men took a seat at either side, both sitting as close to the exit as they dared.

Not a good sign thought Helen before she said. "Well, I suggest we introduce ourselves."

Thomas took his cue, he gestured towards the darker man first. "May I introduce Garos's envoy, Michael."

He turned towards the other man. "And this is Lucan's envoy, Daniel."

Immediately upon being introduced to the men, Nikki leant towards Helen so nobody else could hear her,

"Talk about giving first impressions, I'm not sure whom I would trust."

"Yep, and do you get the feeling that we are going to have our work cut out?" Helen also kept her voice low.

"Definitely. So, how do we start?"

"Try and find out what the conflict is about?"

"Seems good to me, do you want to ask the questions?"

"No, you can start off. If I think of anything relevant I'll butt in."

#

Nikki cleared her throat and turned her attention towards Michael. "Would it be possible to hear the background of this dispute?"

Michael looks puzzled. "I'm sorry, do you not have any idea what this is about?"

"Erm, no, not really," Nikki shifted uncomfortably in her chair, that hadn't been the start she had been hoping for. "We have been giving brief details, however to hear it from yourselves could help us enormously."

"Ah," Michael looked less worried. "A good idea, nothing helps more than hearing things directly from those involved."

Nikki privately heaved a sigh of relief, she was sure that if either man had felt that she or Helen hadn't any real idea what this was about then the talks would have broken down there and then.

#

What seemed like an eternity later Nikki felt as though her head was about to burst, and from the almost glazed look on Helen's face, and she was sure the Scottish woman must have been feeling the same way. The accusations about who had started this dispute and why it had started seemed to have been lost in the midst of time. However, one thing was clear. If it wasn't resolved soon then things were going to get very nasty very quickly. The enormity of the task seemed overwhelming.

Eventually Helen's Celtic side got the better of her and her patience gave way. She raised her hands to stop Michael and Daniel arguing a point that had been repeated at least six times already.

"Enough!" She snapped her annoyance obvious. "This is going nowhere. I suggest a recess so Nikki and I can talk about what has already been said before deciding on our next move."

She raised her hand once again to stop Daniel who had started to contest what she had proposed. "Ah, I said enough! For now, we all need a break, please respect our wishes."

"I am sorry," Daniel conceded. "That was unforgiving of me. You are quite right, we should take our leave."

He got up from the table, and bowed politely before he left, Michael also departed after the customary goodbyes. Thomas, who had been silent throughout the whole exchange, kept his silence and just acknowledged them with a slight nod before he followed the two men outside

"Thank Christ for that," Helen flopped back into her chair. "I swear to God if I had to sit here a moment longer listening to them both go on about how neither side was to blame I would have murdered somebody."

Nikki felt too exhausted to reply straight away, finally she asked. "How do we sort out the truth, if I have got the gist right, Garos has the upper hand for now, but Lucan is making a claim on the grounds of? …." she looked to Helen for clarification.

"Grounds of power sharing, he feels Garos is too powerful on his own, he wants to rule as a leader, but not have totally control."

"The thing is, can we trust Lucan's motives so that he doesn't become absolute ruler."

"The key could be in the scrolls?"

Nikki stood and stretched. "Yes, according to Michael, Garos wants to keep The law scrolls as they are but is willing to allow certain access to these new scrolls, but Lucan is against that, I wonder why he would be anti that happening, after all, he's the one who sent the different scrolls to Earth and was vilified as a result."

"Yeah," Helen got up and made her way over to where Nikki was standing. "That one's puzzling me as well, he does seem a bit cautious considering those scrolls could be used to try and clear his name, why send them to Earth for safe keeping if he wasn't going to use them when they returned?" She paused. "You know, maybe this could come down to gut instinct."

"Maybe, but right now my gut is completely confused, I think I lost the will to live after the fifth point of order."

Laughing lightly, Helen remembered the look on Nikki's face when that happened. The envoys had both gone red in the face arguing over the fact that one village may or may not have been under Garos' protection in the original version of the law scrolls. And from what she could gather the story surrounding the place was so minor she failed to see that it would have any significance even if it had been included.

Nikki picked up on the lighter tone, and joined in with the laughter as they both sat down again.

#

Sean was pacing the farmhouse kitchen, to his surprise there had been no sign of Nikki's Father. Val explained that he was at an agricultural show all week, and had left the night before. She was pleased that he wasn't around. He was a wonderful man but had always failed to grasp the history of her family. At least this way there should be no explaining to be done.

"How long do you think they'll be?" Sean finally stopping his pacing.

"I wish I knew, look, if you want to do something, and if it's not too painful, we could go to Trish's, at the very least we need to feed the cat, maybe tidy up after that mess was made?"

Sean thought about it long and hard. There was a huge conflict going on within him. He knew that he couldn't give up on Trish. And by doing what Val suggested it might help, but the other part of him also felt a huge vacant space that just ached so painfully at the moment he wasn't sure he could bear to be that close to anything that might remind him of her. Eventually he made up his mind. "Alright, but I warn you, I shall not be responsible if I turn into a blubbering wreck."

Val grinned slightly, she was pleased to see a glimmer of the old Sean. "Trish wouldn't have it any other way. We'll take my car. I suspect that you'll be a bit too tired to drive."

With a jolt Sean realized that Val was right, he did feel exhausted, although he didn't feel as though he could go to sleep.

It didn't take them long to reach Trish's, Sean let them in, he had a spare key to both Nikki and Trish's houses. Likewise they had keys to both his and to each other's places, that way they could help each other if needed. Sean could only recall a couple of times where they been required to use the spare keys but the bonds they felt as friends were so strong it was entirely natural they trusted one another to such a degree.

#

The expected pangs of hurt that he felt as he walked into her house crashed through his fragile emotions. Without realizing it, he stopped in the hallway and picked up Trish's cat who had wrapped herself around his legs in a familiar manner. The tears fell onto her fur, yet she made no attempt to escape, instead she just cuddled against his chest even closer as if she understood every ounce of his anguish. Val stood close by, not wanting to intrude, she waited patiently while Sean worked through his grief, and eventually he composed himself and wiping away the last vestiges of the tears he turned towards her. "So what first?" He asked.

Val looked at the mess the intruders had left. "Well. In here is a good a place as any," she rolled up her sleeves. "Let's get this show on the road."

#

Without warning there was a huge explosion. Both women were knocked out of their chairs, wrecked pieces of canvas fell around them, and the central pole that had been holding up the tent disintegrated into a million pieces showering them with splinters of all sizes. Thomas suddenly appeared and he looked shocked by what had happened. "Helen. Nikki, are you alright?" He glanced around wildly before he spotted them motionless on the ground.

#

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22


	20. Chapter 20

©n 2005 revised 2011

**#**

Chapter Twenty.

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Calm descended over the devastation for a split second, almost as if a soft blanket had been laid over a new-born child. And then all sound seemed to start up at once. Thomas rushed over to where the women lay. Reaching Helen first, Thomas carefully rolled her over to discover she was awake and moving on her own. After a seconds hesitation he helped to her feet and they both turned their attention to where Nikki was lying. She seemed dazed by the blast and had a few minor cuts to her face which were bleeding, but, luckily, like most face wounds it looked worse than it actually was. Otherwise she seemed unharmed, and with help from the pair of them she got unsteadily to her feet.

By sheer good fortune the chairs that they had been sitting in had taken the brunt of whatever had caused the explosion. Surveying the damage it was obvious that if it wasn't for that they would both be dead by now. They made their way out through the wreckage. Thomas kept tripping up on odd bits of shrapnel and repeating in shock. "No-one has ever directly attacked any envoy or neutral negotiator before, never…"

#

The carnage outside the tent was far greater. The main ranks of troops from both sides had been decimated. Both of the guards that had been helping Thomas lay dead, all around horses were dead and dying, this was obviously where the main shockwave had been. Daniel was on his feet but looked dazed. Helen suddenly heard a groan and without thought for her own safety rushed forward to help. She found a piece of the tent pole had landed on top of Michael, he had obvious been knocked unconscious by its force, the groan she'd heard was him coming around. It didn't take much to move the pole and help him to his feet, he stood wobbling, holding his head as he surveyed the damage. He mumbled his thanks for her help before he echoed Thomas's words. "Nobody has ever instigated such an attack before, why? What could they hope to gain?"

"I suspect they want chaos, and that's probably what they'll get," the answer came from Nikki who had joined them. "Do we know where the explosion came from?"

"I think it must have been hidden in some of the weapons, it looked like a chain reaction was set off in the pile that Thomas had confiscated. It would be impossible to know exactly which ones were involved. They were all mixed up together." Michael talked slowly, as if it hurt him to speak.

"So where is the safest place to go?" asked Helen, looking around to see where Thomas was, he was still in shock. His composure seemed to have completely vanished.

#

"Thomas!" Helen barked sharply. "Come on, we need you to think, where can we go to get out of the firing line, you can bet whoever did this will come to check up on survivors, and they'll be pretty damn quick about it, we need to get out of here. Now."

To his credit, he quickly pulled himself together. "I really don't know, here is where all neutral actions took place. It's been this place forever."

"Well, it isn't now." Helen picked her way through the rubble to reach a few horses that had survived, "I hope you all know how to ride?"

Nikki suddenly looked nervous. Helen saw her fear and said. "Oh come on, you grew up on a farm, don't tell me you didn't ride and have horses?"

"Oh, we had horses alright. I just never got on with them. It was Mums thing really." Apprehensively she took the reins to the beautiful grey stallion.

"Well, it's got to be better than standing around here," Helen answered sharply.

"I know." Nikki visibly flinched as the horse danced on his feet, sweat dripping off his flank, she knew they had to get to a safer place, she just wished that the horse understood her nerves. Swallowing hard she put her foot in the stirrup and mounted. To Nikki's relief the horse instantly calmed pleased to have to have a rider on his back. It looked as though he needed reassurance more than she did.

#

All the surviving horses were grey. Helen mounted hers and looked as comfortable on horseback as she did on the ground, without waiting for directions she skilfully spurred her steed forward into a steady canter.

Instinct told her they needed to get away from this place, and as soon as possible. Without argument the four other survivors followed and the five of them made their way along the valley floor, carefully using the shelter that the edge of the woods gave them. After a fairly long time Helen slowed the pace, finally stopping. She turned to the two envoys and Thomas. "So, do you two want to report back to your respective sides?"

They both nodded, Michael was the first to speak. "I will happily grant you three shelter within our ranks if you desire."

That offer was followed by instant indignation from Daniel. "For all we know your side could have planned that attack for this very reason, no, they can have shelter within our ranks if they wish."

Sensing a row was brewing Helen butted in. "Thanks but no thanks. The person or persons involved in this would have no way of knowing if either of you would survive, that tells me neither side can be trusted if you were both considered expendable. I will send word to reconvene once we have found a safe haven."

#

Thomas finally joined in the discussion, "she's right, and you know it. Go back to your ranks, inform them of what has happened, try and discover who could commit such an atrocity. That will help us more right now. I will keep these two safe that is my solemn vow." He could see his words had hit home, and both envoys touched their chest in silent salute before they broke off from the group and went their separate ways.

"Come on," said Thomas who was obviously over his initial shock. "I dare not take you to any of my families houses, and once they realize we have survived, that will be the first place they'll look."

"Where then?" asked Nikki, hoping it didn't involve the horses going too fast. Her riding skills were good. It was her nerves that let her down.

Thomas grinned without humour. "To the one place they wouldn't think of." He kicked his horse forward.

Groaning Nikki hoped she could keep up when it became obvious the pace was going to be as unrelenting as before.

Half a day later Thomas assured them that they were close to their goal, they had come across several patrols from both sides that they had managed to avoid easily. Nikki was even starting to enjoy the riding experience, if you could discount the numbness. Her backside was now starting to vehemently protest. She had even decided to call her horse Horace. Amused, Helen had asked why she had named him. Nikki replied that it felt the right thing to do and the others had laughed at the logic.

#

Annoyingly Helen and Thomas both still looked completely comfortable. It was as if they had only just started out. During one of the breaks that they had taken to water the horses Nikki had queried them on it. Thomas, of course, was an expert horseman. Being a Guardian meant that was how he travelled whilst not on Earth. It turned out that Helen had been a keen member of the local Pony Club when she was younger. Often competing in the junior cross country events, at one point she had seriously considered working with horses full time. Even qualifying a friend's horse to complete at Badminton, but she hadn't taken part because her University course started the same weekend and the love of history and Henge's in particular had won the day.

It was her second love of riding that had first introduced her to Thomas. Now she could see that the meeting must have been orchestrated on his part. She in turn then questioned him about that meeting. It seemed that stories were told about a possible link between somebody who had matched her description and the quest. Thomas had taken a gamble, fallen in love but soon realized that Helen was indeed the one meant to help Nikki. Soon they fell quiet and the last hour or so had all ridden in an easy silence.

#

Then, without warning Thomas reined his horse around. "We are near. You need to be as quiet as possible."

"Why?" Nikki suddenly felt apprehensive.

"The place we are going is guarded by a sleeping Beast, the nearest thing I could describe this place as is a prison. We will not be traced there."

"Right…" came the drawn out reply. "But if it's a prison, how do we get out again?"

"The horses are our entrance and exit, without them we will be trapped, under no circumstances must you lose them."

"Why do I like the sound of this less and less, and I have to ask, what danger will we be in?"

"None, I promise you, this place houses those who oppose all in this realm, they would not hurt outsiders, because I am from this place I am the one at risk here. With luck, having spent so much time on Earth I should pass unnoticed."

"Erm, and this Beast that you mentioned so casually?" Helen said nervously.

"Humans would say it looks like the beast in stories relating to Dragons. We Guardians just call them Beasts. They used to roam the Earth for the same purpose as here, eventually though people began to revolt against their use, now the few that are left reside only in this realm."

"Oh... Dear… God…" Helen looked panicked. "I have to ask, do they breathe fire?"

Thomas grinned. "No that part is a complete myth. In fact a few were known to harbour sympathies for humans, although that was not encouraged. They are all harmless to those not interned. We have horses and so they will recognize that we are free."

"So why do we need to sneak past it?" Helen wasn't going anywhere until she felt safer.

"It will surely be questioned when they try to trace our movements, if we can slip through unnoticed it's unlikely those questioning the Beast will venture deeper, not many that live here would want to risk getting trapped."

#

Nikki and Helen exchanged edgy glances, but they could see the logic in Thomas's choice of hideout. Seeing the final agreement in their faces Thomas rode on, soon a large grey rocky valley was visible. Along its entrance a creature that indeed resembled a Dragon lay, it appeared to be sleeping. Holding a finger to his face to indicate quiet Thomas edged his mount past the animal.

Helen and Nikki found they were sweating from the tension, but they managed to get their horses past without incident. Riding further into the valley the need for quiet subsided. Nikki muttered to herself unheard by the others. "The last place I expected to end up would be prison!"

#

A few figures started to appear, emerging from the many caves dug into the high valley walls, nobody made any move to intercept the newcomers in their midst. The quiet was eerie in its encompassing nature. It seemed to envelope everything and invaded everywhere.

"Where do we need to go?" Helen's voice was low, but sounded dull because of that strange quietness.

"The very end would be the most logical choice, we should be able to keep a good eye on the horses, and the main water supply is also up that end of the valley." Thomas's reply sounded equally muffled.

"What happens about food?"

"Three times a day food and medical supplies are dropped in near the far end, it can be a bit of a mad scramble, but there is always enough for everybody. It may be a prison but they do care about the welfare of those in here. Once a week all non-essential supplies such as clothes are also left."

#

It took them about ten minutes to cover the distance to the far end. Nikki and Helen couldn't get over the sheer scale of the place. Moreover, despite Thomas's reassurances about the prisoners' welfare they found themselves grateful that they didn't have to endure it confines for any length of time.

Most of the people seemed to be concentrated in the middle section of the valley. To the women's horror they saw children were also part of this prison community. Thomas explained that people had been here for several generations, so some had got married, had children and successfully raised entire families. He assured them that the children were always made an offer to leave if they renounced the beliefs that their parents held. Most opted to stay within the community, but a few had left.

Nearing their destination Thomas dismounted and led his horse the final few yards, illustrating to the prison people that they intended to stay. It seemed to have the desired effect and most of those that had emerged from their homes melted back to whatever it was they had been doing.

"Will we be able to get shelter?" Nikki wondered aloud.

"Yes, there are always a few rooms held spare at the base of the rocks for new inmates. Prisoners can work towards getting a full shelter from that point. With luck there should be a place big enough to house us and the horses."

The other two also dismounted, keen to follow Thomas's example. Another surprise was waiting for them, as they rounded the final bend they found this part of the valley was a lush green, it had cattle and other animals peacefully grazing.

"Well, I guess that answers the question of what the horses were going to eat," Nikki said.

"Like I said, it may be a prison, but they have tried to help those here as much as possible, this is the communal farm. We'll be able to get hay here."

#

Thomas made his way to the rock face and carefully scrutinised it. Finally he spotted what he was looked for. "Ah, here we go, and let's see what's inside this one."

He led his horse into a narrow opening. The others followed wondering what they would find. The space suddenly opened up into a huge room. A water supply was piped through the back area via a channel carved into the wall; it carried on through the dividing wall and must have supplied all the rooms. Several beds hewn from the rock edged the one side, each bed was covered with a mattress and bedding, at the back there was an area that obviously housed animals.

Leading the horses over to that section it didn't take long to get them unsaddled. Their mounts all rolled in the dust covered floor, grateful that their working day was over. Once they had shaken the excess dust off, they enjoyed a long drink before nudging around for food.

#

"Time to raid the farm," Thomas informed the woman. "One of us should stay here, who wants to join me?"

"I'm quite happy to stay here," Nikki volunteered. "That's if Helen doesn't mind being with you?"

"No, that's fine with me." Helen shrugged happy to be doing something.

"We shouldn't be too long," Thomas assured them. "There are rules that govern this place. No-one is permitted to enter another person's room without permission so you will be quite safe."

"Even with the horses in tow?" Nikki asked worried that somebody might try and steal their horses as a means to escape.

"Even with the horses in tow, try and remember the crimes these people have committed are not the same as on Earth. No person is imprisoned here for things such as theft."

"What happens to those prisoners?"

Thomas laughed. "We don't have such crimes. Each person imprisoned would be considered political prisoners on Earth."

Nikki shrugged. "Ok, no crime rate. Pity that paradise is in the middle of a war."

Thomas looked rueful. "A war that has just escalated into chaos, I hope we can root out those

responsible before this thing spills out into other realms."

"Like Earth?"

"Earth would be the first to suffer."

"Thomas, do you have battle experience?" The question was unexpected and there was a few seconds of silence.

Finally the Guardian nodded. "I do, my primary role has always been soldier and bodyguard, and I hoped that part of my live would be coming to an end but I fear I will see more battles before this conflict is through. And you may need to consider the best method of defending yourselves."

"We'd better learn fast because I never saw myself as a soldier." Nikki's insides had tightened at the thought of fighting.

Scrunching her eyes tightly Nikki blew out her cheeks and exhaled. Opening her eyes again she said. "Nope, not a dream. Ah well."

She waved her hand in the direction of the opening. "Go on, go, go, sort out rations, I'll contemplate the nature of life while you're gone."

#

While she waited for the other two to return Nikki found she was finally relaxing, she even caught herself humming some nameless song. She wasn't sure what Thomas had planned next, but he had assured them they would be safe here, and Nikki believed him.

The horses had settled in well, they were obviously used to being tethered overnight in strange places.

Suddenly, she heard Helen calling her name. There was such urgency to her voice Nikki was sure that they must have been discovered. She rushed outside, dreading what she might find, nearly knocking Helen over in the process as she had been right outside the doorway.

Scattered hay lay at Helens feet and after she had dodged out of Nikki's way all she could do was point towards whatever it was that had caused her to shout.

Turning in that direction, Nikki felt as if her world had been ripped from underneath her. Trish was running towards them, Thomas at her side. Finally, Nikki's legs galvanised into action and she took off like a sprint runner. In a second the two friends had reached each other and they collapsed in a tight embrace, sobbing.

#

Finally, Nikki was able to speak. "What are you doing here? Thomas said that you were safe."

"I was, but after that attempt was made on your lives they banished me to this place, I don't know why. I couldn't believe it when I saw you ride in. With this dampening field in place I couldn't make my shouts heard so I started to make my way over when I came across Thomas collecting food for the horses." Trish sniffed, composing herself.

"I can take a guess why you are here," there was a hard tone to Thomas's voice. "They couldn't let your spirit be kept or taken until this is over, there are some things, even now, which nobody would dare try and meddle with. Equally you were probably a threat to their plans, and there is no better place to keep a person silent than prison. Plus they would know where you were if they needed a bargaining tool."

"That's not the worst bit," Trish added. "They let Fenner go."

#

"What!" The other three exploded together.

"It's true. He managed to wangle a meeting with some head guy after your place was attacked, and now they think that he's useful to them."

"That … treacherous ... slimy ... snake…" Nikki was obviously trying to control her anger at his release. "I swear he's going to pay for all he's done."

"My god, that's inhuman." Helen turned to Thomas. "We've got to get Trish out of here."

"You can't," said Trish. "I haven't got a mount, we'll never make it, believe me, they made sure I knew of the consequences if I ever tried to leave, and it's more important that you all keep safe."

"No, that's not good enough. I'll not let anything else happen to you." Nikki's words trembled with the emotion that was behind them. "As long as I'm alive I swear they'll not harm you. We'll think of something!"

#

With Nikki's words echoing in their ears the sombre group made their way back to their room.

Helen retrieved the food that she had dropped and fed the horses straight away. The others went and sat on one of the beds. Nikki and Trish held on to each other, for the time being at least neither of them was willing to break the contact that they never thought they would feel again. They waited for Helen to join them before they carried on the discussion.

"There has to be some way we can protect Trish?" Nikki asked Thomas.

He shook his head, "I don't see how we can."

"You go out and come back in leading another horse?"

"You can only do that if you stop at the Beast and tell him who the horse is for, if the name matches one they have been given you can carry on. They have strict criteria to follow."

"Could she double up on one the horses, I'm sure Horace would take two of us."

"It's very unlikely that we would get past the Beast, and if you do get stopped your life would be in danger as well, and you have to remember, where would we go? I can't think of anywhere that would be as safe as here."

Nikki sighed in frustration. "Well, we can't just let her meet her fate."

Trish moved over to comfort her friend, "I'm with Thomas." She held her hand up to forestall the argument she knew was coming. "I'm not suggesting you abandon me, but I think we need to try and find out who did this, and why, before we can make any sort of move."

"So how do we plan to do that?" Nikki asked.

#

Thomas took the lead and got up and started to pace the room as he talked. Helen knew he used to do that when he wanted to concentrate on something, and despite everything, it still amused her slightly to see that even here he reverted to type.

Annoyingly everybody found they had to strain to hear his words, the eerie sound dampener didn't only work outside, it's powers extended to the internal structures as well.

"I shall have to go back out and do some scouting, tonight would be best. I know a few people that I totally trust, and they should be able to help me. If we can find out a bit more about which side is making waves over the whole incident that might help us work out which side to go to for protection." He paused. "Damn. If only we had the swords and shield here. That would be a huge help in protecting us."

"Well, go and get them," Helen demanded.

"Pardon?"

"Well go and get them, you can guarantee Sean will have kept them. You said that normal travel between these two places applies to you, go and get them."

Thomas looked abashed and unhappy, "I'm not sure I can."

#

"What. You're kidding me? Why not?" Helen tried, and failed, to keep the annoyance from her voice.

"If war has been declared I need permission to leave." Thomas stood still and for the first time since Helen had known him Thomas actually managed to look and sound sheepish.

"Oh, that's just great. Wonderful. Bloody freaking marvellous." Helen's scowl on its own could have frozen most people in place. Thomas, to his credit managed to ignore it.

"I know you want to getting things sorted, your natural instinct is to be doing something, but right now, you can't." He tried to placate Helen.

"And that's what makes it so bloody frustrating," Helen got up, and stormed around muttering under her breath, all the others could catch was. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

#

Finally it fell silent, but Helen still paced the room.

After what seemed like an eternity Trish made the first move. "Right, come on, don't forget, in the last twenty four hours I've lived and died. Now I'm alive again I intend to stay that way, believe me dying once is enough for anybody. We have moped about for long enough. We need to decide what to do."

Nikki couldn't help but smile at Trish's intensity. "You're right, so, plan of attack, Thomas goes to see what he can find out from his contacts."

"Right," Trish smiled back at Nikki. "Now you're getting the idea."

"And before you disagree, I'm going to fill my time trying to work out how we get you out of here."

Trish could see that arguing with her friend was going to be useless. "Alright, I don't see how, but at least it will give us something to do. Helen?" She turned her attention to the Scottish woman.

Helen finally stopped pacing at Trish's question and exhaled gently. "Yeah, what you say makes sense. I'll see what I can do to help you and Nikki, like you said at least it gives us something to do."

#

As an afterthought Trish said. "Oh and can we do something about my clothes," she glanced at the dried blood that covered her blouse. "It's really unnerving to see that every time I look down."

Nikki motioned her over to the water channel. "Come here, I should be able to wash some out with cold water." Nikki tore a scrap of cloth off one of the blankets.

Trish joined her and because the water was cold it didn't solidify the blood into the fabric and it only took a few minutes to get the worst out.

"That's better," Trish's relief was obvious. Some staining remained, but it wasn't as acute as it had been.

#

Thomas stood silently, watching the interaction between the other three. Suddenly he felt immense pride that he was with these people. Between them they had shown a determination and love for each other that he didn't believe was possible. He made his way to the horses.

Thomas's mount came over and whinnied gently at him. The understanding that Thomas would need to ride out tonight shone in the horse's eyes. Thomas soon had the saddle and bridle in place and he led the horse outside. The women quietly joined him, as they hugged him before he left. No words were spoken, none were needed. Thomas rode off without a backwards glance, but they all watched until he was out of sight before going back inside, their mood solemn.

#

Back on Earth Val and Sean had finally got Trish's house into some sort of order. Amazingly, the damage itself was minimal, it looked worse than it actually was. The loss was reduced down to a few picture frames, some plates and cushions. The cat had not left Sean's side the entire time and he was grateful for the company.

Val had gone to the shops for provisions before she had cooked a meal for them. As the autumn night started to fall she had tried to persuade Sean to come back to the farm, but he had flatly refused. Now he was at Trish's he didn't want to leave. Eventually Val had given up recognising his reasons for staying. Instead she had phoned home asking that one of the farm workers drive Sean's car over.

Then Val drove the man back, Sean having first reassured her that he would be all right. Once Val left he decided to get the artefacts out of the car and put them in the sitting room for safekeeping. The only people that knew about them were Matthew Lee and Bodybag and he thought that she was unlikely to try and get hold of them after what had happened to Fenner.

Unable to rest in the bedrooms Sean had settled down for the night in the chair he loved so much, the cat was grateful for the lap to sit on. "Hey there Toni," Sean found himself talking quietly to the beautiful tortoise shell coloured animal. "We'll get Mum back," he reassured Trish's beloved pet and she was soon asleep. To his amazement Sean soon followed her example and remembered no more for some time.

#

Without knowing why, he woke with a start and Sean was unsure if he was dreaming or not. Everything seems normal yet something wasn't right. A slight light shone through the curtains from the street lights, other than that it was dark and completely quiet.

Then he noticed Toni had also woken up and stood hissing at thin air with her hackles raised so high she appeared twice her normal size, her claws dug in to his legs but he didn't notice them. Reaching down he automatically picked up one of the swords that were by the side of the chair. Sean held it out in front of him and waited. He wasn't disappointed, a light shimmered and a figure appeared in front of him.

Instantly the cat ran and Sean snarled. "Fenner!"

"Ah, I see you recognize me, wonderful things these projectors. I look totally solid," Jim Fenner scrutinized his hand as he spoke. Seeing the sword in Sean's hand he added. "You know, little boys shouldn't play with toys like that. You never know what damage they could do."

"Don't patronize me you bastard, what do you want?"

#

"What do I want? Oh, such an interesting question." Fenner walked around the room examining the objects Trish had collected over the years. Fenner's tone changed and the anger became apparent. "What I want is to live, but I can't do that until we find something, and have those meddling friends of yours under our control. Now, I need to know, what would those so called friends of yours do if they needed to hide somewhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say there has been a slight change of plan because your precious pals managed to stick a fly in the ointment."

Sean laughed. "What, and you want me to help you work out where to find them. I don't bloody think so!"

"If you refuse Trish's soul dies."

#

The directness of Jim's statement caught Sean off guard, when he found his voice it was as cold and hard as solid ice. "If you harm her I swear you will never find peace. I will hound you through the depths of eternity."

Fenner laughed, fuelling Sean's resolve. "Oh, you forget, I have powerful friends now," he leant forward into Sean's face. "You don't scare me."

Sean's face seemed to harden even more as he moved further into Fenner's personal space. "Well, you should be scared!" He strung out the words for emphasis.

Fenner's head shot backwards as if it had been stung, and for a fraction of a second his composure slipped and Sean saw the fear. The mask fell back into place as quickly as it had been lost and Fenner growled. "Believe me, when we catch up with your cohorts they will suffer more than you could possibly imagine."

A flash of light followed and Sean was left blinking in the sudden darkness.

#

"That's it. I will not have that bastard dictating things to me," Sean almost roared into the empty room. "I've has enough of this, there must be something that I can do."

He stalked over to the phone and rang Val's number and got her to come back. Then, Sean plugged in Trish's computer. When Val arrived he shouted at her to let herself in and she found him reading something intently on the computer in the sitting room.

The grin Sean gave her was almost feral in nature. "You're really not going to like this, but I've made up my mind to go and help the others, and I think I've found a way."

Seeing the look on his face Val's heart ran cold with fear at whatever it was he planned to do. All she could think was; 'God help anybody that got in his way.'

#

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19


	21. Chapter 21

© 2005 revised 2011

Chapter Twenty-one.

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The night drew in rapidly and the humans huddled together to keep warm. It wasn't particularly cold but the emotions of the day were catching up with them. Deadened sounds echoed slightly in the air, the horses were fairly quiet, they just heard the odd stamp of the hooves. The occasional munching sound as they ate and contented snorts, the smell was somehow comforting, warm and slightly musty, Nikki had expected it to be invasive and was surprised to find it wasn't.

Once darkness finally arrived, a slight glow emanated off the walls, some sort of phosphorous was embedding within the rock. One of the beds was large so they decided to use that between them. Trish lay down in the middle, separating Nikki and Helen and was the first to go to sleep. Not wanting to disturb her, the others didn't talk. The night slowly and quietly lulled them to join her in slumber.

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It was Trish shouting and sitting up that woke them with a start.

"What?" asked Helen, her voice sounding sleepy and groggy.

"Sean," Trish moved so she could swing her legs over the bed. "He's coming to help."

"Come on T, I know things are different here but how on earth could you know that?" Nikki was worried her friend was feeling the strain.

"I'm telling you, I had a dream and somehow he's going to help."

"Sorry," said Helen still yawning. "But if it was a dream then…" She didn't get chance to finish the sentence because a very pissed off blond butted in.

"I'm telling you it's happening," Trish could feel her voice rising in frustration.

"Ok, ok, jeez, sorry, look, tell us what you saw," Helen apologized as she yawned again.

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Placated, Trish recounted what she had seen. Everything from Sean's waking, to the cat's reaction and the confrontation between Sean and Fenner. Finally ending with Val's face when she heard what Sean was planning.

"But why would you see all that?" asked Helen puzzled, still trying to rub sleep from her face.

"Don't tell me it's escaped your notice how these two feel about each other? They must be emotionally linked somehow." Nikki noted Trish's discomfort at her directness and added. "Hey, don't be bashful, we all know it, and its time you two stopped pussy footing around and did something."

Before she could stop herself Trish blurted out. "A bit like you and Helen then."

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For a conversation stopper it certainly works as an embarrassed silence descended. Helen cleared her throat. "Ah, that's, ah, er, as well, er, maybe, but right now, if this is true, I'm more worried about the direct threat made by Fenner about you."

"And I didn't much like the sound of them wanting us under their control. Damn, I wish Thomas hadn't gone off now," Nikki said. "I'm not sure it's that safe to stay here any longer," before the others could protest she quickly added. "I know, I know, but think about it, if Fenner wants to hurt Trish he won't wait. He'll be here as soon as he can, and if he's here then we shouldn't be."

"But how do we get Trish out, and how do we make contact with Thomas?" Helen pointed out.

"We try the double up on the horse idea, "Nikki was determined. "I'll take that risk, there was a small copse by the valley entrance, we should be able to hide there and wait for Thomas's return."

Not waiting for an answer she went over and started to tack up Horace. Trish and Helen looked at each other, neither of them was happy with the plan, but they knew Fenner would stop at nothing and was likely to come here first.

#

"Ok," Helen started to tack up her horse. "But we have to leave Trish if your life is put in danger."

"No!" Nikki rounded on her, furious.

Yes," came the emphatic reply. "Trish stands more chance of staying alive by being here if this doesn't work."

Nikki stood seething at Helen's words. "How dare you expect me to leave Trish behind."

Trish went over to her friend and placed a hand on her arm. "Nikki, she's right, think about it, these prisoners have no love for those outside, I'm sure they'll help shield me, and it's you two they really want, I can't put that in jeopardy."

Nikki's anger simmered, but she knew she was outnumbered. Silently she snatched up Horace's reins, spun around angrily on her heel and led him outside. Trish followed and once Nikki mounted, Trish held out her hand to be helped up to sit behind the saddle holding onto Nikki's waist.

Helen, being the better rider made one last attempt to persuade Nikki to let Trish go with her, but Nikki's stubbornness kicked in and she would hear nothing of it.

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It took them a lot longer to make their way back to the entrance in the dark, and they were grateful the sound was deadened, but when they got there, they saw with dismay the Beast had woken. Now it was standing they could see it more clearly, a large animal. It looked a bit like a lizard only with huge wings that lay folded across it back, and it was lumbering about, low growling noises issued deep from within its throat.

Helen reined her horse to a standstill. "Shit."

"Does anything seem odd to you?" asked Nikki.

"Odd, yeah, of course something seems odd, there's a bloody great hulking carnivore standing in our sodding way."

"No," said Nikki exasperated. "I got the impression from Thomas that they were peaceful animals unless provoked, so what's wound this one up?"

"Well why don't you go and ask it?"

Nikki shrugged. "Good idea."

"What, No wait!" The sound of Horace's hooves clattering against the rock drowned out Helen's protest.

"Shit. Will that bloody woman ever learn when I'm joking?" Helen spurred her mount forward and quickly caught up with them. "For God's sake stop, it's suicide."

Nikki looked intently at her. "I don't think it is, something's riled that Beast and I don't believe it's us."

"You're asking me to go with gut instinct again aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

Before Nikki could explain anymore, the Beast spotted them and giving a terrible roar blocked their path. Helen's horse reared in fright and if she had been a novice rider it would have almost certainly thrown her.

Rancid breath issued from its mouth as it spoke in surprising quiet but rich deep tones. "Who are you and where do you go?"

"Please. We wish to leave." Nikki decided the direct approach was going to be best.

"On whose authority?"

"Our freedom."

"One of you has no mount of their own, why should I listen to your plea?" The Beast slowly padded its way around the horses, inspecting them in detail. Its feet made no sound when they touched the ground.

"We mean no harm, these are troubled times and we need to find protection."

With a wary tone the Beast asked. "You did not answer my first question, so I say again. Who are you and where are you from?"

Nikki knew she had to be totally honest with her answer if they stood any chance of getting out alive. "We are from Earth, these are my friends," in a flash of inspiration she added. "And I am descended from Carod."

"Carod," the Beast roared before it spun around and growled loudly into the night.

Nikki hoped that she hadn't made an error mentioning Carod's name. Saying nothing seemed to be a wise move so she waited for the Beast to resume the conversation.

Seconds later and without warning the night sky was filled with winged Beasts coming from all directions, the air silent despite the massive winds beating through the atmosphere. The group was encircled by half a dozen within minutes and yet more were arriving.

The Beast greeting all new arrivals individually, when it was satisfied they were all present it spoke. "My brethren, we have in our midst a descendent from Carod." It waited for the low mummer that its words provoked to subside before it continued.

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At that precise moment Sean had just finished outlining his plan to Val, she had instantly paled. Sean started to pile the swords and shield into a rucksack and she tried to stop him. "Where did you get this idea? Its madness, you have no way of knowing if it will work."

Sean paused what he was doing. "It was thanks to Trish, she had an idea when this first started about looking up local legends, and I expanded that on the Internet, simple," he resumed his packing.

"Please," Val begged him. "Don't."

"Val, I have to try, what's the worst that can happen."

"You'd die and I don't think I could live with my conscience if that happened."

"I am not the sort of person who makes rash decisions, you know that. And we know where a weak point in the Earth's surface is. That's half our job done already."

He threw the rucksack over his shoulder. "Hey, trust me, I'm an idiot."

"Not funny Sean!"

"Maybe not, however, I'm going and I would really like you to be there. Without your help my chances of succeeding are a lot less."

"I'm not going to talk you out of this." Val's tone was resigned, they had left the house and Sean was unlocking the car.

"Nope."

"Then I will do as you ask, just don't expect me to be happy about it."

"That's all I want, to expect more would be unfair."

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The Beasts looked apprehensive, Nikki had been right, something had riled them, and Helen hoped that whatever it was it was in their favour.

Unexpectedly The Beast spoke directly to them. "I now share a great honour with you, do not abuse that trust, my name is Alastrine I am a secret Guardian of the human race, this was a pledge made to Lucan, and our kin are known as The Tutelory. You must follow me."

It turned and led them towards the copse that Nikki had mentioned earlier. When they reached its edge they could see that some of the trees were perfect camouflage for smaller Beasts. Alastrine growled a low greeting before it indicated that it wanted them to go into the trees.

"Our younger brothers will guide you to a safe place, we will meet again there."

It turned as if to leave them when suddenly Helen said. "Alastrine, sorry, but we have another to our party."

"You refer to Thomas?"

"Yes," Helen wondered how Alastrine knew Thomas's name but she wasn't going to push their luck any further. "He went to try and get some information for us, he has no idea that we were forced to move."

"Do not fear, our brethren will inform him of where to go."

Alastrine padded away indicating that it felt the conversation was over, the last they saw of it that night was an imposing sight as it growled to the others who gathered around.

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Sean got out the car. "Well, I thought I had seen the last of this place, at least for time being."

Val looked at Stonehenge in the near distance. "So let me get this right, we don't need to be in the centre of the stones?"

"Nope," Sean handed her some bent metal. "It's an area just outside that we need."

She shook her head as she nervously handled the metal Sean had given her. "I just wish I could be confident."

"You'll be fine, now, are you ready to meet the ancestors?"

"To think Nikki went through all this without any prior warning, I don't know how she managed it. I think I would have had a heart attack."

Sean showed the way and for the first time Val got a feeling she couldn't fully explain. It must have shown because Sean asked. "You have got a connection haven't you?"

Val nodded, "I must have, and it's really strange. It's like a tingle is working its way up through the ground and slowly going from my toes to my head."

He reached out and took her hand reassuringly. "Only a few more paces and we'll be in the right place."

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Then, exactly as it had happened before, only Nikki and Helen had been standing in that spot, there was a light that emanated between them. Visible only to those who were meant to see it, gradually the figures of Carod and Anharod appeared. The moment the pair saw Val and Sean concern passed across their features, and instantly Anharod stated. "Something has gone wrong."

She turned her attention to Val and her face softened. "My child, I always believed you would never give up and lose faith."

Val stuttered a bit from the emotion that she felt flowing uncontrollably through her veins. "So that part of me that never gave up came from you?"

"It did my precious one. But we have more important things to discuss right now, what has happened?"

It took Val and Sean about five minutes to fully explain what had happened, but once they reached the bit where Sean's plan was being outlined Val fell silent. Sean started to prepare the items he had brought with him as he talked.

"It is indeed a bold plan," Carod's voice resonated with that richness that others found so hypnotizing.

"But do you think it will work?" Val asked.

"It might. You realize the part you play is important?"

"That's what worries me."

"Do not let it."

Both Carod and Anharod moved towards her, to Val's surprise the figures felt solid as they placed their hands on her head. Instantly she felt a different person, a fission of power raced through her body, every nerve end tingled, the world seemed to spin around her but she didn't feel dizzy. The moment they removed their hands Sean took over.

#

He stood on the shield directly in front of her, and held both swords, one in each hand. He needed to shout to make his voice carry above the chanting that Anharod and Carod had begun, the language they spoke was the same Thomas had used earlier. "Val, you need to dowse for the Earths energy field now."

She grasped the metal rods like he had shown her, and remembering what Nikki had done in the past Val tried to clear her mind of everything except the magnetic forces from the Earth. Her eyes scrunched up tightly from the concentration. She felt Sean touch the tips of the metal rods with the sword points, then without warning everything went deathly silent. She didn't dare open her eyes. The fear of failure still plagued her. If they had not succeeded she knew Sean's body would be lying in front of her and they would not be able to revive him.

She found herself praying in soft tones. "Please let have worked, please let it have worked."

Slowly, she peaked with one eye, and to her relief saw no body, opening both eyes fully she could see that Sean had disappeared, the only sign that he had been there was a scorch mark on the ground where the shield had rested. "My God, it worked!"

#

Val jumped when Anharod replied from behind her, for some reason she had not been expecting either of them to still be there. "He is a brave and clever man, Trish is lucky to have him. Even we had not thought of getting to the other realm that way,"

"He's all that isn't he," Val couldn't help but smile with pride as she turned to face them. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you still here?"

"Because you are our kin, it would not be fair to vanish without a proper goodbye."

"Will I ever see you again?"

Carod was the one to answer that question. "Even I cannot see what is in the stars, but if our loved ones succeed, then yes, we will always be able to see each other."

"I'm glad, it would be nice."

Silently Anharod and Carod touched her face in a tender embrace goodbye, she leant into their hands briefly, tears pricked the back of Val's eyes and unable to trust her voice she nodded her thanks. The figures slowly drifted into the dawn sky leaving Val alone knowing she could do no more, with a heavy heart she made her way back to the car and drove home.

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The Beasts had taken them to a village that obviously housed more of their kind. On the way, they had shown considerable stealth skills for large animals. Not once did any of them speak, and soon as they reached their destination they just pointed to the shelter that was used as stabling. Patiently they waited while the horses were tethered before they led the way to the large and very tall round house that was in the central section of the dwellings. The way the village was laid out and the construction of the buildings reminded Helen of an Iron Age site that was being excavated when she had first arrived in Wiltshire. The archaeologist in her knew she would want to reappraise that dig when they got back.

Even Trish who was the shortest of the three had to duck slightly to get through the doorway. Wider than most it was obviously built to allow the Beasts to enter crouched on all fours. Eyes soon adjusted to the dim light, a large fire roared in the central grate. Smaller rooms were partitioned off all around the outer wall, with a huge central bench running right around the fire. Opposite the door the bench was wider than at any other point and it was there that a smaller version of Alastrine sat. Several other Beasts stood a discrete distance away.

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On their arrival the smaller Beasts pointed towards the bench. "Please sit."

Once they were comfortable the Beast spoke again. "I am Gildas, husband to Alastrine."

"Pardon?" Nikki spluttered. "Alastrine is your wife?"

"I see that you have made the mistake that all humans make." a low chuckle accompanied his statement. "In our society the order is reversed, once the females have produced children they continue in the warrior role and we, the males, stay and tend our homesteads. Many people on seeing us for the first time assume that the larger animal is the male."

"Wow, I like that idea," said Nikki in awe.

"Hang on. So, you're telling me that the Beasts we saw were female?" Helen couldn't keep the doubt out of her voice.

Nikki swore she saw the Beast smile as he replied. "The smaller ones, no, we all fulfil the warrior's role until we are joined with another, but the larger ones, yes, that's correct."

Helen coughed as if to clear her throat. Nikki decided to interrupt something fearful Helen might unintentionally insult their hosts. "Actually, there are cases in the wild where the male is the smaller of the species... "

Helen raised her hand to forestall what Nikki was going to say. "I get it, a house husband," she shrugged. "I can live with that."

"Well that could be a bit simplistic," counted Nikki.

Gildas laughed a throaty sound. "Please, I take no offence, it may be simplistic but it is about as accurate as you can get," his tone became grave. "However, enough for now, I must discuss with you the events of this past day."

"You mean the attack on us?" said Helen.

Gildas nodded. "It has left this realm in terrible turmoil and unless something is done soon I fear that all within this universe will be torn asunder. First I must stress that our tribe of Beasts are known as the Tutelory and in the past our role has always been clandestine. In these troubles times our species is being split apart and we need to keep our identity separate from other Beasts. From now on we stand in the open and proudly declare who we really are. We must no longer be afraid to go by our chosen personality. The cowardly atrocity against you changed our realm for ever."

"Do you have any idea who could have committed the act?" asked Trish.

Gildas sighed. "We suspect a side, but do not yet have an idea as to the person or persons involved, without that, it may be the only way to stop the destruction could lie with you."

"But we're human," objected Helen. "What good could we possibly do?"

Before Gildas could answer there was a commotion outside, he immediately sent one of the other Tutelory out to see what was happening. Within seconds they were back. "Sire, Thomas has been spotted a few leagues from here."

"Good, send the sentinels to fetch him, the sooner we can intercept him the better. He has been far too skilful in avoiding our scouts until now. Remember to show the flag of truce. With luck he will recognise our colours."

"As you command Sire."

"And now back to your question human, before I answer, I will ask, why do you think you were attacked?"

Helen shrugged. "I really don't know, we thought we were only going to be negotiating a truce, not be in a war zone."

"Except you had the scrolls and since they left these lands something unexpected happened."

"What was that?" Nikki was curious, for some reason she thought the answer lay with her, she was right.

"Carod fell in love. An event nobody had foreseen. But, let us wait until Thomas arrives, it may give us a stronger understanding of what has happened."

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Gildas went quiet. The others sensed it would have been a breach of protocol if they had carried on talking so they fell silent. Subconsciously Helen reached out and grasped Nikki's hand. She was comforted by the light squeeze Nikki gave her in return.

After a fairly short time they heard horses coming through the trees. Gildas looked towards the entrance. "Ah, our sentinels return and I hear the hooves from an unknown horse. Thomas must be with them."

Sure enough, a few minutes later Thomas strode into the hut. "Gildas," he bowed as he approached. "Sire, it is indeed an honour to have your protection in these times."

Gildas stood from the bench and went to where Thomas had stopped, placing a paw on his shoulder he commanded. "Thomas, Realm's protector and defender, never feel the need to bow within the place of our kin, you have proved yourself worthy to be our equal." He swept his paw aside towards the others. "As have you humans."

"That is indeed an enormous privilege, we thank you Sire." Thomas was obviously deeply moved by Gildas's generosity.

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Gildas strode back to the bench. "And so to business, I take it the scouts explained why the humans are here," he only waited for a brief nod off Thomas before he continued. "Good, then they have done their job well, so please tell us what you have discovered."

Taking a long breath Thomas told them of his time away. "I first went to a cousin's house to find that they, along with all my other family have been arrested without charge. Everybody is too scared to talk but I finally managed to find an old friend within Lucan's ranks who would help me. The news is not good. Lucan has been murdered."

"Ah," understanding dawned on Gildas's face. "That would explain everything. Do we know who commented this atrocity?"

"We do, it came within his own ranks. Kealad was responsible. I also heard that he now seeks revenge on us for surviving the blast."

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Gildas shook his head. "I always worried about Kealad. Lucan was a brave man to challenge Garos, and he appeared to do so for all the right reason. However, to trust a man such as Kealad and to hold him so close was, in my view a step too far. Lucan confided in me a few leagues back. He was sure there was a traitor in his ranks and that the scrolls held the key to that Guardian's identity."

Nikki whispered to Helen. "That would explain why Lucan was hesitating about using the scrolls when we were meeting the envoys. Wasn't Kealad the one who was accused of murder in the scrolls?"

"Yes, and if I remember rightly that's one of the stories you read from the scrolls. According to them, Kealad defence is he killed Abrais fairly, in battle."

Helen raised her voice so the others could hear. "Just out of interest, were any questions ever raised about how Abrais died?"

Thomas answered her. "Yes, there were, after Carod left with the scrolls Lucan held an surprise inquiry into some of the killings made on the battlefield, that was one of deaths looked into. Kealad denied that he had deliberately ignored Abrais's pleas to be spared. The Guardian who witnessed this event mysteriously disappeared. It now looks as though he may have been killed to prevent him testifying, why do you ask?"

"The scrolls partly support Kealad's version of events, I'm puzzled by that, if Lucan was sure what had happened why sent that scroll with Carod."

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Gildas and Thomas looked at each other, and in an absentminded manner Thomas said. "That would make sense, if Kealad found out what Lucan planned he might have slipped that scroll in with the others to give himself an alibi but if came to light now it could have ruined him. Of course by the time Kealad realized he couldn't retrieve Lucan's real scrolls, Carod fell in love with Anharod so not only did he become mortal but his soul stayed on Earth, eternally linked with Anharod and their kin. The inquiries took a long time to set up, I suspect by then Carod had died and the knowledge of the scrolls died with him. Kealad didn't dare do anything until events had run their natural course and the scrolls been recovered, if he had made a move any sooner it would have given his game away. He must have hated Carod for that."

"Lost except to those of Wade blood, Carod hid the scrolls, if Kealad's the sort that goes in for revenge that means I was the one he wanted to kill with that blast. He just didn't care about whom else died. He wants me," Nikki didn't often feel nervous about anything, but she was frightened now. Kealad had proved he would stop at nothing.

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Sean landed up in a wheat field, the wind completely knocked out of him, and he was sure his eyebrows were singed from the electric charge that had been created by combining the swords and rods that Val was holding. Certainly his hands had been slightly burned by the impact. He'd come prepared, and removed the first aid kit that he'd packed in the rucksack before Val had got to the house. He rubbed some salve onto his fingers and debated whether or not to put some bandages on, looking at the skin it wasn't blistering so he decide not to bother.

Sean knew Val wouldn't have agreed with him, but he felt as though the easy part was over, even though he was in a strange place, and Jim Fenner was on the loose. Where the others were was a complete mystery. Sean certainly wasn't going to risk going up to the first person he saw. Carefully he packed up the artefacts, before he picked a direction to travel. Not having a clue about where he was or where he needed to go he just went with what seemed right.

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A few hours of hard walking and he was beginning to regret his decision, the terrain had got rockery and hillier and as the miles were covered, the sun started beating down sapping his remaining energy. Deciding to stop and rest, Sean realized he'd not really had any sleep for 48 hours. 'Not the best way to carry on with a rescue,' he wryly chastised himself. At least with the rocky outcrops were a few low overhangs that would give him good protection from the elements while he slept. He was very carefully in choosing one. The shelter also needed to stop prying eyes from seeing him.

Finally Sean was satisfied with the choice, as luck would have it the place he opted for had an earth base, unlike the others that had been made entirely of rock. Grateful for small mercies Sean used the rucksack as a pillow, pulled his jacket up around his neck and fell asleep before he could even wonder about the fate of his friends.

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Helen made the first move to comfort Nikki.

Thomas carried on talking to Gildas in low tones before he joined the two women. "Gildas tells me you decided to move because you didn't feel safe, what made you take such a risk?"

"Shit, we forgot to tell you about Trish's dream," Helen could have kicked herself for forgetting.

Thomas turned to Trish. "Dream? What sort of dream?"

She told him what had happened, and that she was sure, more than ever it was actually a premonition. To her relief Thomas didn't question what had happened but went straight back over to talk to Gildas.

Within minutes Gildas had sent some of the other Tutualory outside before he and Thomas moved into one of the small rooms to discuss things in more detail. Realizing they would make no useful contribution the others stayed where they were, worried about Nikki's future.

Nikki turned to Helen. "I know I'm the one Kealad really wants, but would you consider keeping the scrolls with you. That way he has less chances of success."

Helen gently hugged Nikki. "I'm ahead of you on that one. I took the scrolls out of your saddle bag at the valley. I didn't say anything because you were so worried about getting Trish to safety but the moment she mentioned Fenner had said that they needed something from us I guessed the scrolls might be involved."

#

Sean stretched in the dark and immediately regretted it, his body was finally protesting about the mistreatment it has been receiving the last couple of days, his muscles felt like lead, and he was so stiff he could hardly move, he groaned loudly, as much out of frustration as anything. Suddenly a big pair of eyes glowed in front of him and a voice that sounded anything but friendly said. "Well, well, what do we have here?"

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	22. Chapter 22

© 2005 revised 2011

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Chapter Twenty-two.

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Chapter Twenty-two.

Sean knew he was in trouble, he couldn't see what had spoken but from the size of the eyes, it had to be big. He heard whatever it was sniff the air.

"Ah, Human," it sounded pleased. "My night hunting has been better than I could have imagined."

Sean felt a giant paw fish behind him, he was roughly pushed out from where he lay, and he only just managed to hang onto the rucksack.

#

Nikki pulled away from Helen. "You took the scrolls without telling me?"

"Well, yes," Helen sounded puzzled by Nikki's irate tone. "I would have said, but you seemed a bit distracted by Trish and I didn't want to unduly worry you."

"I think that's down to me to decide, not you."

Without another word Nikki got up and stormed out. Truly puzzled Helen turned to Trish and asked. "What the hell did I do?"

"Nothing, after Sue died Nikki hated relying on others that's all. It's not something she's used to. Go after her."

"Sue?" Helen queried.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you wouldn't know," Trish sighed sadly. "Sue and Nikki had been together about three years. They met at University and just before they moved into together Sue was killed by a drunk driver. It devastated Nikki and she hasn't really relied on anybody since."

"What, not even you or Sean?"

Trish shook her head. "Not really, sure, we do things and we enjoy each other's company but when it comes to making choices, Nikki's as independent as they come."

Helen glanced towards the door. "Oh boy," she grimaced. "So I've inadvertently stepped in it then."

Trish motioned with her hand. "Go after her, she's let you closer than I've seen anybody ever get. I'm not sure Sue even got this emotionally involved. Nikki will be OK so long as you go gently."

Helen just nodded before leaving.

#

When she eventually found Nikki she was at the stables stroking Horace.

"You know, for somebody who didn't like horses you certainly seem to have grown rather fond of him." Helen carefully joined her.

Nikki didn't answer. She kept her eyes cast on the floor, even when Helen put her hand under Nikki's chin in an attempt to get the darker haired woman to look directly into her eyes.

"Nikki, what is it?"

She just shook her head.

Understanding Nikki's need to get some kind of emotional balance Helen led her to over the bales that were stacked up against the wall. Using the hay as seats Helen wrapped her arms around Nikki's waist and held her tightly until she was ready to talk.

#

Sean's eyes gradually got used to the dark, he had been expecting to find things alien to him when he got here, but what he saw chilled him to the bone. A huge animal that resembled the Dragons from human folklore was outlined by the scant moonlight. And despite its size he was amazed at the lack of sound it made, no wonder he hadn't heard it approaching.

A low rumble issued from its throat, ominously it sounded a bit like laughter. "A fortuitous meeting, well for me at least, as for the human, hmm, we shall see, but what I really want to know, are you the one they are looking for?"

Sean stayed silent.

"Well, answer me," the animal demanded, menace in every syllable.

Sean held his silence. He suffered a swipe from the paw that sent him tumbling to the ground. He staggered to his feet, determined not to give in to bullying.

"That, as you may have gathered was a gentle pat, now I suggest unless you wish to find out what a harder smack feels like you'll answer."

It waited a minute or two and was greeted by the same silence. "Oh dear, oh dear, trying to be brave. Don't say I didn't warn you."

The force that hit Sean knocked him dizzy. It was several minutes before he could regain his composure and he could feel a small trickle of blood run down the side of his face, but he made no attempt to brush it aside. Whatever happened he was not going to show weakness if he could help it.

#

"Oh, a stubborn one, they were always my favourites. It really has been too long since I got to play." Now the creature definitely did laugh, there was no mistaking the sound.

Bracing himself Sean made sure he had hooked the rucksack safely around his arm. Just as the paw was pulled back, a shadow, accompanied by a booming noise came from above, suddenly it filled the air and whatever it was knocked the creature away from him.

Sean heard a bellow.

"Morrigan. We are charged to do no harm."

The animal called Morrigan roared back, anger and distain permutated the air. "You maybe, but my oath lies with others!"

"Do not make me fight you war goddess."

"Or what Tutelory, so called defender of mankind, you do not frighten me."

#

The one called Morrigan took off into the night sky, the beats of the wings sounded slowly and quiet as she gained speed and height, all Sean could see in the darkness were outlines as he watched mesmerized by the battle that was being played out above him.

Each hit that the creatures made cracked like a bullet and echoed around the countryside, an aerial ballet of deadly consequences was being waged. Sean had no idea which creature was winning, he thought about running but found he was transfixed. Anyway, he doubted he would have time to reach anywhere that would be safe from Morrigan.

Without warning one of the creatures pulled away, sounds of anguish filtered through the sky, the remaining creature waited above him until the other had left the scene. Then, wing beats got nearer as the animal descended, nervously Sean waited to find out his fate.

#

Finally Nikki felt able to talk to Helen. "You confuse me, no, that's not entirely fair. I confuse myself as well. I know what we're meant to feel. You said you didn't want any kind of relationship but once we got here you hinted you might be OK with it. You take the scrolls to protect me and yet the moment things involve us getting closer we both pull away. So far Sean and Trish have been more open about how they're feeling than us, and I'm struggling with my emotions for Sue. A part of me feels guilty, it's such a God awful jumbled mess."

Helen hung her head. "I know, and I'm sorry, it has been so unfair on you," she sighed.

"I just don't know where I stand," Nikki sounded lost.

Helen made up her mind. "Here is where you stand. Sue would want you to be happy. I want you to be happy, and I know it won't be easy but I think we can make this work." To emphasis her words she enveloped Nikki in a hug and then kissed her, both women moaning as the kiss deepened and from the feelings that coursed through them.

Finally they pulled away from each other. "Fancy a romp in the hay?" Helen's tone was playful.

That got a genuine snort out of Nikki. "Are you joking? Have you felt hay on skin, it itches and scratches like mad."

"That's true. Only in movies could it be considered romantic."

"Yeah," she sighed, "boy, this romantic crap is emotionally tiring. I haven't felt this drained since Sue died."

"Want to tell me about Sue?"

Nikki paused as she wondered how much information Helen would be happy knowing. She quickly made up her mind. It was going to be all or nothing and so she nodded. "Yes, yes, I do, for Sue's sake as much as anything."

#

The creature landed a few feet away; it looked identical to the one that had left only a few minutes earlier, Sean's heart sunk until he heard it speak. It wasn't Morrigan.

"I am Alastrine, I hope you are unharmed?"

"Thank you, I'm ok, a bit bruised but nothing much."

"Good, you are Sean?"

Astonished that Alastrine knew his name he said. "Yes, but how did you know."

"I will explain on the way, but first we must depart. Now Morrigan knows of you she will be back with others."

Sean looked around at the bleakness that surrounded them. "How? I can't see any way of leaving here."

Alastrine laughed, a pleasant sound after Morrigan. "You are looking at your transport, please climb on my back, use my front legs as steps, then hold onto the fold of skin just behind my wings."

Sean did as he was told, it was easier than he expected, the folds in the legs acted just like steps and the skin behind the wings was shaped just like a handle. Once he settled he make sure his rucksack was secure and said. "Ready when you are."

Alastrine lifted off, the noise from her wings boomed next to him, but once they reached a certain height and speed the noise ceased and the only sound was the wind whistling past. Sean felt completely free.

#

During their flight Alastrine told Sean about the arrival of Nikki and Helen and of the subsequent adventures. Sean had to stop himself crying out with relief when he heard Trish's name mentioned. He was astounded when he heard Trish had seen the events that had led up to him arriving here. Then, in the distance he could make out lights from a village.

#

Alastrine started to lose height. Circling lower and lower until eventually she landed in a clearing on the village edge. Sean got down the same way he had got on.

As he alighted Alastrine said. "I must leave you, there is much work to be done, go to the central hut, there you will meet the others, tell them what has happened. Say I fear tonight marks the start of all-out war."

Without waiting for an answer she took off again, Sean wasted no time and made for the village, as he neared the houses Trish came into view. He lost his voice from the emotion and sprinted towards her, suddenly she saw him and ran his way, and a strangled cry escaped her lips. They embraced long and hard, eventually Sean pulled away, and all he could do was shake his head.

Through the tears Trish tenderly touched the small cut above his eye, Sean had forgotten about it. Trish lovingly wiped away the blood and gently queried. "So, are you going to say it or am I?"

"Say what?" He answered, finally finding his voice.

Trish playfully punched him on the arm. "You know what!"

He grinned, "I'll say it then, God Trish. I love you."

She laughed and kissed him.

#

Thomas found them as they were making their way into the central square. He strode over and grasped Sean firmly by the hand. "Thank goodness Alastrine found you."

"Yes. And in the nick of time, I was having a run in with a creature called Morrigan at the time."

Sean filled Thomas in with what Alastrine had said. Looking solemn Thomas showed him the way to the central house and introduced him to Gildas. Sean was recounting all that had happened to him when Nikki and Helen arrived hand in hand.

Once the friends had been reunited Gildas spoke, his tone grave. "Alastrine has indeed brought worrying news, If Morrigan has seen Sean then she will be reporting back to Kealad. Her allegiance with him has been a concern, it seems those concerns were valid. The prophets have been fooled by this, for the first time in the history of Earth, life is uncertain. We must prepare for combat."

#

Thomas took charge of the human's battle training and they were quite happy to submit to his knowledge. He gave the swords to Nikki and Helen before asking the others if they had ever used any kind of weapon. Sean shook his head but Trish admitted she has once done a bit of archery while at university. Gildas went and got the necessary equipment from the hidden cache that was situated on site.

Sean was given an ordinary sword before they were all given a quick lesson on how to use the weapons. Nikki found that if she used the natural abilities she possessed for dowsing it was easier and soon mastered the arts. Helen found the whole thing harder, but soon picked up basic skills. Trish, to her relief, found that she hadn't really forgotten anything and after she got used to the weight of the bow soon started to hit the bull's-eye on a regular basis. Sean proved to be a bit more of a problem. He managed to try stabbing everybody around him at least twice. Thomas told him not to worry too much, in a melee that could be an effective method of fighting, although he was hoping that none of them would have to be that closely involved with the coming battle.

#

During the day reports started to filter back from the scouts Gildas had sent out. The news was not good. Kealad had managed to trap the opposing forces and was systematically reducing their numbers. If he carried on at that rate there would be a complete bloodbath within the week. Alastrine was the last to return; even the human group could tell she was exhausted from the day's efforts. She brought the gravest news of all. Many were supporting Kealad out of sheer terror. His brutality was unrelenting. And Jim Fenner had been spotted with a large fighting force which was heading this way.

Thomas left the group to confer with all the Tutelory. Although he didn't say anything, the others knew a direct conflict was looking increasingly likely. Night-time fell slowly and they all decided to try and get as much rest as possible. Slumber proved elusive and one by one they gradually gave in to the restlessness that denied them sleep. Nikki was the first to rise. She made her way over to the fire and sat watching the flames jump and fall. She turned around at a slight noise to find Helen had joined her, nothing was said and they held each other in silence. Finally, Sean and Trish came over and did the same.

#

The next morning Gildas entered their hut to find them still in front of the fires smouldering ashes, although Trish had managed to fall asleep leaning against Sean's shoulder. He woke her gently upon Gildas's arrival. They stretched and yawned and Gildas indicated to the table that was in the corner. "Please, sit. We shall bring you some food shortly."

"Thank you." Helen stood, stretched and worked the kinks out of her neck before moving over to the table.

"Gildas, before you go, do you have any news on Fenner's whereabouts?" Sean asked.

"No, I'm afraid not, his group managed to evade our scouts just before dawn, is there any particular reason why you enquired after him?"

Sean's face hardened slightly. "Not really, let's just say there is unfinished business between us."

Trish laid a calming hand on his arm. "Hey, don't go seeking revenge Sean. You're a better person than that."

Sean relaxed slightly. "I know, but I can't help feeling riled over the way he's gloated at every opportunity, especially over your fate," he held onto Trish's hand tightly. "I couldn't face the thought that I might lose you forever, and Fenner knows that."

Trish lent into Sean's body. "Exactly, if you go after him for revenge then he wins, have you thought that maybe the reason he's targeted you is because he's jealous of our bond?" She smiled slightly as felt Sean relax. "There, that's better."

Sean smiled back. "Thanks, I needed that."

#

Helen pensively looked into Nikki's eyes. "Do you think Fenner realized how we feel about each other?"

Nikki touched Helen's cheek gently with her hand. "I hope not," she felt her stomach constrict into a tight knot at the thought of losing the Scottish woman. "I dread to think how he would react if he felt he had a better target to go after."

A noise at the doorway distracted them and Thomas appeared.

Helen went over and hugged him. "So, what's happening out there?" she enquired.

Thomas sat down. "Let's eat while I talk," and he reached out for some bread. "The news is grim. Kealad is forcing many into armed slavery. For the first time in history the Beasts and Tutelory will be pitted on opposite sides of the conflict. They have always been allowed to stay neutral in any battles but Kealad's hatred of the Tutelory is legendary. If he wins then he will hunt them down and destroy all he finds. The best chance of success will be while there are those that still oppose him. If Kealad loses allies then he stands very little chance of winning."

"Will you be fighting as well?" Trish asked.

Thomas nodded. "I have to join them, some Guardians have already joined us and I know of others that are on their way. We hope that some of those fighting on Kealad's side will have the courage to join us once they realize the main Tutelory are opposing Kealad. We ask that you remain here. Some of the Tutelory will guard you. If we fail then you may be able to escape back to Earth using the swords and shield."

"But surely he'll attack Earth?" Helen said.

"Maybe, he's plans are uncertain, he may be happier to leave Earth alone for the time being, he loves watching suffering, all he needs to do is plant a few bad people."

"Like Fenner." Sean interrupted.

"Yes," Thomas nodded grimly. "Then he simply sits back and watches the human race destroy itself."

#

Suddenly they heard shouts go up on the far side of the camp. The group looked at Thomas in alarm. For the first time since she had known him Helen realized he looked genuinely worried. "What?" She quickly asked.

"Grab your weapons. I think Fenner's group must have found us."

#

They all tried to quell the rising panic and quickly did as he had asked. Following the Guardian out of the hut they could see thick black acrid smoke was rising from the far edge of the forest. Some Tutelory had taken to the air and arrows from unseen bowmen filled surrounding sky. Every now and then one found its target and wounded Tutelory could be heard venting their aguish. Dull metallic sounds could be heard in the distance as weapons fought in hand-to-hand combat. It was impossible to judge who was winning the fight.

#

Making their way to the opposite end of the village they used the cover the buildings provided, when they reached the stables Helen had insisted on stopping to free the horses. Horace nuzzled up to Nikki before he headed into the forest. They reached the village outskirts to find a defensive ditch had been dug overnight. Thomas quickly ushered them into its relative safety.

Several of the Tutelory and Guardians were already present and had started to bolster the defences. The sounds and smells of battle permeated the air, getting louder at each passing moment. The fear they all felt was clearly visible on their faces. The men and women grouped together automatically, nervously handling their respective weapons.

#

With no warning, the direct attack came, vicious and unrelenting. Helen couldn't think straight and found she was just reacting, she parried blow after blow. In her peripheral vision she saw Sean and Trish fighting back to back. Nikki had somehow got slightly separated and Helen had to fight down the panic at not seeing her. After fifteen minutes she could hardly raise the sword in front of her. Fatigue was starting to bite, arms felt numb and legs were burned from the effort. Helen could tell that Sean and Trish were flagging badly. Despair wrapped its self around her thoughts and just as she was sure she couldn't go on any longer the opposing forces broke off as quickly as they had arrived.

#

Taking deep breaths Helen looked around, she still couldn't see Nikki and her heart started to constrict in fear. She ran to the others, all weariness forgotten. "Where's Nikki?"

Thomas spun around. "You mean she's not here?" The concern was evident.

"No." Helen really felt as if the world was standing still, she couldn't bear thinking about losing Nikki so soon after she had come into her life.

"Look through the bodies." Thomas commanded in a voice that was as sharp as a whip. He made his way over where the dead and wounded lay and started to search. Other Guardians joined him.

#

Helen couldn't react. Her body felt completely numb and all the surrounding sights and sounds seemed to fade out. It was some time before words filtered through to her. The blanket of fog that enveloped her brain stopped all thoughts. She was dimly aware of others shouting. Finally, her consciousness broke through letting her hear and see what was happening.

Sean was talking. "Let's look over in the forest, she could have got separated and that would provide greater shelter."

"And if she's not there?" Trish asked.

Sean only shook his head in reply. He stumbled through the brush cover that lay at the trees edge, the brambles catching in his clothes. Trish was close behind and Helen found her legs automatically propelling him in that direction. She heard Sean shouting out Nikki's name.

Trish suddenly pointed to the forest floor. "There, the undergrowth has been flattened. Somebody or something's been through here."

#

Thomas joined them. He looked grave. "Nikki's not amongst the dead but if she has been taken by Fenner's forces I'm concerned for her safety."

With dread, Sean noticed something on the ground. Wordlessly he bent over and picked up Nikki's sword. Nobody said anything. They didn't need to. The distress they all felt was tangible.

"Trackers, I can't think of anybody else that could have got so close without us realizing. That must have been why the attack stopped so suddenly, they had what they came for." Thomas's voice was cold.

#

Nikki woke to the thought that her bed was moving. After a moment it occurred to her that the whole thing was wrong. Her head felt as if she had an elephant tap dancing across it. To top it all off the elephant was wearing red-hot hobnailed boots. In addition, no bed was this uncomfortable, or smelled that bad. Gradually she realized she was strapped across a horse's back, adding to her discomfort. She slowly opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't, seeing the ground pass underneath her made her feel sick and she only just stopped herself from vomiting. Quickly she squeezed her eyes shut trying to gather her thoughts.

Eventually Nikki remembered the fight. She had got slightly separated from the others and found herself at the edge of the trees. Then there was nothing. She had no idea what had happened. She could only assume she had been knocked unconscious. Without warning the horse she was on was pulled up and she found herself roughly removed from its back.

#

A hand slapped her across the face. "Come on. Wake up." The voice was harsh and wasn't one she recognised. When she opened her eyes she wanted to recoil, the person in front of her was unlike anything she had ever seen before, indeed if it was a person. A dark withered face that looking like cracked leather glared at her.

"Good girl. Pity I have to take care of you," whatever it was thrust a water bottle into her hands. "Drink, and be quick about it."

Not trusting what was being given her Nikki could have easily not drunk what was offered but her body was dehydrated. Unable to stop the urge to drink she was relieved to find the water tasted pure and clear.

Suddenly the bottle was snatched away by more gnarled hands. A second captor had appeared out of the undergrowth, it looked almost identical to the first.

"Enough! Now stand up."

Shakily Nikki obeyed, and stood swaying as she kept a tight hold of the horses' saddle praying she wouldn't have to move.

#

Her first captor shoved her against the saddle. "Hah, think we're going to help now you're awake. You can get up there on your own."

Not seeing any other choice Nikki obeyed the command, nausea still threatened to swamp her if she moved too fast. The moment she was mounted her hands were tied to the reins. She had no means of escape. Her captors mounted their own horses and cruelly dug their heels into their flanks. Nikki flinched at the poor animal's pain. The track they took was overgrown and Nikki found she often had to duck to avoid branches. Once she misjudged it and nearly got sweep off the horses back. The night started to close in but they keep on going.

Finally when she felt she could take no more they stopped. After the three of them had dismounted, Nikki captors tethered her to a tree. A fire was lit but she wasn't close enough to get any benefit from its warming glow. A tantalising aroma wafted through the air causing her stomach to rumble loudly. They must have heard it because they both turned around to look at her before laughing and turning away again. Even with the benefit of wearing Anharads robe, the cold crept in and Nikki had the most miserable night of her life.

#

The next morning Nikki could hardly move from the cold. One of her kidnappers hauled her up and untied her long enough to allow her go to the nearby stream and take her time to wash her face and get slightly clean. Nikki wondered if she could make a run for it, but the guard was keeping a close eye on her and Nikki had serious doubts about her mobility considering how stiff she felt. As it was Nikki could hardly manage basic tasks. She was allowed to drink more water before she was tied back onto the horse. At least she was able to place her hands under the horses' mane for some warmth, and once they were moving some of the chill finally left her body even though the sun had trouble breaking through the trees. The thick branches blocked out almost everything.

Thomas had gone to report to Gildas about Nikki's disappearance and Helen sat on the ground. Her body felt as if it couldn't take anything more and her mind was reacting as though it were wading through mud. Trish knelt beside her and she was dimly aware of the blonde woman wrapping her arms around her in comfort. It was then she started to shake from reaction to Nikki's loss.

After a while Thomas returned. He knelt beside Trish and Helen realized he was talking to her. "Helen, Nikki needs your strength right now."

She could only look at him blankly.

"Helen, please," he begged. "You need to work through this."

The meaning of his words finally started to filter through. And Helen made an effect to concentrate on what he was saying. Eventually nodding to show she was trying.

Thomas understood and patted her arm approvingly. "Good, that's it. Gildas has sent out scouts, but the forest is thick, if Nikki has been taken by trained trackers then they could be almost impossible to spot."

Remotely Helen could hear her voice asking. "Do you think she's dead?"

Thomas shook his head. "No, I think Kealad wants her alive."

"Why? Why would he want her alive after he tried to kill us at the summit?" Helen could feel her mind taking back control with every passing second.

"Because war has started," leaning over Thomas helped Helen to her feet. "And he's the sort that goes in for revenge. Or, it could be that he wants to make an example of her in front of his troops to strengthen his terror hold. He could also think Nikki has the scrolls and it would help him if he could get his hands on them."

Visibly paling Helen groaned out. "But I've got them. We've got to find her, if he thinks she can't be of any use to him he'll surely kill her."

#

Helen started to run back towards the village, the others trailing in her wake. Thomas shouted at Helen's back. "Wait, where do you think we should go? And what would we do once we got there? We can't just go charging in. We need a plan"

Helen slowed. Suddenly she realized Thomas was right, she wasn't thinking, only reacting.

She turned to the Guardian. "Then what do we do?"

He smiled at her. "I have an idea. We go and cut off the serpents head once and for all."

Helen looked at him in some awe. "When did you become such a warrior?"

Thomas laughed softly. "Remember, I'm a soldier and bodyguard. It's what I do. Come on. Let's see what the Tutelory think."

#

Thomas led the way back to the meeting hut. Amazingly, the inner part of the village had been almost untouched by the violence.

Glidas joined them and Thomas outlined his plan. Sure there were risks and he knew that the Tutelory involvement would be crucial if they were to succeed. Helen, Sean and Trish looked to Gildas for his reaction, recognizing his response would tell them how good a chance they had of succeeding. To their relief he nodded at Thomas's proposal. "It is a sound tactic. I will inform the others they must join the fight. To make this work we will all reclaim our roles as warriors."

#

#


	23. Chapter 23

© 2005 revised 2011

* * *

Chapter Twenty-three.

* * *

Several Tutelory stood outside the main hut. Sean and Trish were slightly off to one side in conversation.

Thomas went over to talk to them. "Are you sure you both want to do this?"

Trish looked at Sean. He just nodded at her in conformation. "Yes, we're sure," she replied for them both.

"I don't need to remind you what a risk it's going to be."

"I know," Trish held onto Sean's hand tightly. "But nobody can think of another way to get into Kealad's camp so I don't see what choice we have."

"Anyway," Sean shrugged. "I've always wondered what it would be like to create a diversion."

"For what it's worth, you two are incredibly brave." Thomas knew they could be sacrificing their lives because of his plan and he felt a huge burden of responsibility weighting on his shoulders. "Gildas has asked two of his most trusted warriors to aid you. They are Grania and Alana. Both are young but they will guard you as much as they can."

"Thank you Thomas." Trish gazed at Sean. "From now on we do this together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he hugged her tightly before making his way over to where their Tutelory waited. He quickly climbed aboard and was introduced to Alana. Once Trish had climbed onto Grania, Helen and Thomas stood in silence watching them take off.

Once the Beasts had faded into a distant speck on the horizon Helen turned her attention to Thomas. "I suppose all we can do is hope Kealad takes the bait."

Thomas nodded. "Let's prepare for our part in this." And then he walked away. Helen stayed for a little while longer lost in her own thoughts before turning to join him.

#

Nikki was just wondering how much longer they were going to be travelling when without warning the horses burst out of the forest and onto green fields. In the distance she could see a large campsite. They headed towards it and as they got closer she could make out more details. Fires burned in braziers, rough, burly men seated around them for warmth. There was a sense of anticipation that seeped into the air. Some men were sharpening weapons, while others sat idly around playing games of various kinds. In one corner, there was an arena. A clash of swords and shields suggesting it was the exercise area. An acrid smell hit her. Mostly sweat and stale alcohol, mingled with other odours Nikki couldn't identify, they were so bad she hoped she would never identify them.

In the central area a square tent stood out, it was much larger than any of the others and a black and white banner flew from its central pole. It reminded her of the tent that she and Helen had shared on their arrival. A pang of raw pain hit and Nikki wondered if any of the others had survived the onslaught at the village. Shouts went up alerting the camp to their presence. Reaching its edge several of the men greeted her captors, clapping them on the back shouting words of congratulations.

Laughter echoed around them as Nikki was taken to the main tent. Without a word she was untied and pulled off her horse before they manhandled her inside. The sight that greeted her was a chilling one. Stood in one corner was Michael, but he looked injured. Two men, obviously bodyguards, were either side of him, swords in hand and they looked frighteningly alert and ready for action. In the central area, a chair stood surrounded by more bodyguards. A dark haired man sat in a large throne like chair oozing a confident air that Nikki found unsettling.

Nikki didn't wait for an invitation, she was determined not to show weakness and sneered before anybody could stop her. "You must be Kealad then? Can't say it's a pleasure."

He arose slowly, menacingly. "Ah," his voice was calm. "You must be Carod's bastard kin."

#

Nikki immediately tried to launch herself at him reacting on pure instinct at his insult. She was brought up short by one of the soldiers, who managed to wind her with a single punch. She doubled over wheezing while Kealad laughed at her, fuelling her anger further.

Without warning, he crossed over and grabbed her hair, the pain causing her to cry out. "Your family has caused me nothing but trouble," The dark haired man hissed into her ear, and in his anger spittle sprayed against her skin. "Have you any idea the years it took to trick Lucan into launching that attack against Garos? And thanks to your puny human ancestors, it got ruined in one fell swoop, and then what happens? You survived the attack on your camp. You are going to suffer beyond your wildest imaginations for this."

He let go, shouting at one of the guards. "Take her. Make sure she is secure, but I will not have her mistreated. I want my pound of flesh and woe betides anybody who gets in the way!"

The guard bowed low. "Understood my Lord," and grabbing Nikki by her arm dragged her outside. The moment they got beyond the hearing distance of the tent, the guard lent towards her and said quietly. "Try not to react to me. I am on your side, but there are too few of us in camp to help you. I have heard Gildas is planning a rescue, if that happens I will aid him. I hope you can trust me till then."

Without another word, he hauled her inside a smaller tent and handed her to the soldiers inside.

#

Helen holstered her sword, and she felt uncomfortable in the chain mail and leather clothes Thomas had supplied, but she had to acknowledge they provided better protection than her own clothes. Thomas was quiet. He had given Sean his weapon so he took Nikki's sword and placed it in scabbard that he had put onto his belt. He completed his armoury by picking up the shield.

"Have you got the scrolls secured?" Thomas double checked his belt as he asked Helen.

"Yes," she nervously patted an inside pocket.

"Hide them in the upper forest as we discussed, they should be safe there."

A noise at the entrance announced Gildas' arrival. "I have mustered the forces, time to make our move. Thomas, I will transport you, Alastrine will take Helen, and once we reach the area of battle, you must be quick. The time we have is going to be limited."

Gildas turned and went back outside. Thomas placed his hand reassuringly on Helen's arm. She looked him grateful he understood her silent dread. They left the hut in quiet determination.

#

Time had no meaning and without being able to look at a watch Nikki wasn't aware how long she had been chained up. All she knew was that at some point some food and water had been brought in. She couldn't sure if she was pleased to be eating or not. Kealad said he wanted a pound of flesh, and being given food indicated that he meant to carry out that threat over some time. It wasn't long before she found out what he had planned.

Striding into the tent Kealad looked supremely confident. To Nikki's horror she saw a long heavy leather whip in his hand, the cord split into several lashes and the tips shone as if they had been tipped with some kind of metal. It looked as though it could inflict some real damage and she knew from historical records that people had sometimes died from being beaten, or from infected wounds. At a silent nod from Kealad her guards tightly tied her wrists between two of the tents poles, painfully stretching her arms and shoulders.

Kealad strolled around her. "I'm sure you know the stories of floggings," his voice was low and full of menace.

Nikki felt her stomach constrict in fear.

"I believe the pain is quite unbearable. It will be interesting to see how you cope." To emphasize his words, he casually flicked his wrist and the whip cracked without effort. Nikki was sweating from the terror that gripped her, damp hair plastered against her brow. Without warning, not even giving her time to brace herself against the shock, the whip landed across her shoulders cutting through her shirt as if it wasn't there.

The pain was unlike anything she had encountered before. It struck fiercely, and then flared agonizingly through her nerves for what seemed like an eternity before, finally, it receded to a dull throbbing ache. The force of the blow threw her forwards, tearing her back muscles and causing the ties that bound her wrists to dig into her flesh. All Nikki wanted to do was scream and the only thing that stopped her was a vision of Helen. Nikki locked onto repeating the Scottish woman's name in her mind desperately trying to ignore the pain.

Finally Kealad stood in front of her. "This is what you get for defying me, but I want this to last, so that was just a taster. Next time you'll know the real meaning of pain," he walked behind Nikki, trailing the whip against her injured back, laughing when Nikki tried to flinch away from the contact. Finishing Kealad stormed out of the tent shouting to the guards. "Keep her tied up until she passes out."

#

Nikki's muscles were starting to feel the strain of being forced into such an immobile position, the effort causing her to tremble, she couldn't move her top half and if Nikki tried moving her feet it put even more pressure on her chest and back. The pain gradually built up, Nikki' vision clouded over and finally she felt herself being cut down causing a new wave of pain flare to through her body as muscles were eventually freed.

She awoke to the cooling sensation of water gently washing her back. She tried to move, but her muscles were agony causing her to whimper involuntarily. A voice whispered in her ear, and Nikki recognized it as the guard from earlier. "Hush, try not to move, I can't be long," she felt some soothing lotion being rubbed into the wounds. "You were lucky Kealad stopped. This salve will stop any infection and heal you. There is a tankard by your side, once you feel up to moving drink its contents. It contains a pain killer and will help numb the pain. With luck Gildas will be here soon."

#

Before she could thank him, Nikki felt him rise and leave. Not trusting herself to move she lay for a while unaware of how much time had passed. Her shirt felt not much more than tatters across her back. Kealad had obviously not been concerned about the possibility of infection caused by fibres getting into the cuts. Her wrists ached, but they were only badly grazed. Ointment had been applied to those wounds while she was unconscious. Nikki shivered involuntarily at the memory of Kealad's actions and silently Nikki found herself praying that the others would find her. Eventually Nikki felt strong enough to sit up. Gratefully she drank from the tankard. It contents cool and refreshing. Almost immediately she felt her pain ebbing. Only then did she cry, low sobs unheard by anybody else.

#

Sean and Trish knew they were getting close to their destination. The Tutelories had got noticeably tenser and were flying low to try and evade detection. Trees skimmed so close Sean and Trish could almost make out the individual leaf colours as if being beckoned to reach out and touch them. They ducked into a slight clearing, landing without a sound.

The two of them dismounted as quietly as they could and waited while the Tutelories sniffed the air. Satisfied they were alone they motioned for the humans to start moving forward. Both clutched their weapons desperately trying not to show nerves while they hid in the undergrowth, it didn't take long to hear sounds from Kealad's camp filtering through the air. Rapidly the noise changed and shouts could be heard, the attack had started.

#

Taking their cue from the Grania and Alana, Sean and Trish broke through the foliage and were greeted by the sight of other Tutelories attacking Kealad's enclave, the main wave focused on the far side. Remounting their rides they moved to join the fighting, and soon spotted their target. Morrigan was slightly to one side of the main fighting force, nearer Kealad's camp. The Tutelories dropped to the ground as close as they dared and their charges were left in the fray. Sean and Trish's presence did not go unnoticed for long. Morrigan roared when she recognized Sean.

"Here goes nothing," he whispered to Trish as they started to defend themselves.

#

The main attack group was being led by Alastrine and Helen, but in truth Helen felt she was making up the numbers more than any real contribution. However it was important to draw the majority of Kealad's forces away from the spearhead Thomas was commanding and Helen hoped that Sean and Trish were successfully distracting Morrigan and the few Beasts who had renounced the Tutetory. A fire topped with a bitumen type substance had been lit to try and provide some sort of smoke cover for Gildas and his aerial group.

If Gildas could arrive under stealth it would increase the chances of a victory. The point between the two main battles was to be Thomas's focus, they had carefully chosen the point of attack and slowly, quietly his troop of trained soldiers got close to the palisade, setting charges against the base of wooden structure. On Thomas's order they blew their way directly into Kealad's camp.

#

Suddenly realizing a commotion had started outside Nikki hoped it wasn't Kealad heading back her way. However, the helpful guard appeared in the tent doorway.

"The time has come," keeping his voice low he quickly cut Nikki's bindings before handing her a roughly woven shirt.

First massaging some life back into her numb muscles Nikki was able to pull the shapeless black garment over her head without it hurting. Her guard glanced out of the door before signalling Nikki to join him.

"We must hurry, there will not be a lot of time, if we get separated try and head for the top side of camp, the horses are tethered there. They will provide your best chance of escape." With a final check, he led her outside.

A pall of smoke hung low over the camp, rancid and so thick Nikki couldn't make out the sky above, and the only light crept in from the horizon, inching its way across the landscape as if it was fearful of the surroundings. Eerie black shadows danced against the tent material sometimes reflecting back, sometimes absorbed like a sponge sucking up water.

#

Jostled by passing soldiers Nikki felt exposed but luckily they seemed so intent on joining their comrades her presence went unnoticed. Feeling as though her nerves could take no more Nikki was shocked when, without warning there was a huge noise nearby and an explosion rocked outer edges of the camp. The ground shook so much people had to stop to keep their balance. As the debris cleared, Nikki noticed a group of people fighting, and before she had chance to move they were upon her, effectively separating Nikki from her escort and blocking her escape route.

In the confusion Nikki heard a voice she recognised, it was Thomas. Forcing her way through the fight, ducking the blows that rained down Nikki soon saw the tall Guardian. Thomas was fending off parries from two of Kealad's bodyguards, Nikki recognised them from earlier. Catching sight of Nikki in the distance Thomas started to direct the fighters under his command into a defensive cordon. They were better trained and equipped than Kealad's men and soon had the upper hand but before Thomas could consolidate the position a new wave of soldiers hit with Kealad at their head.

"Run," Thomas yelled pointing out a gap in the defences. "Gildas and his army are on approach to provide air cover. When you reach the upper forest look for ... "

His words were cut off by a blow from Kealad's sword which glanced across Thomas's upper arm, blood rapidly falling from the wound.

Thomas briefly managed to turn his attention back to Nikki. "Go," the order was clear. "You can do no good here."

Nikki desperately wanted to help Thomas defend himself against Kealad, but she had no weapon, and, after a moment of indecision she realized she didn't have a choice and took off towards the tree line.

The undergrowth pulled at her clothes and hair but Nikki didn't notice. All she wanted was to be away from Kealad's camp and find safety.

#

Sean and Trish were deep in conflict. Morrigan had nearly reached their position and Sean was sure it wouldn't be long before she reached her target and he could only hope the battle had turned in their favour by that time. Suddenly Morrigan found a way through and Sean felt her talons grasp at his arm, at the same time Morrigan snagged Trish on the other side.

Struggling to free himself Sean could see Trish was doing the same and he called out to her in desperation. "If you get free run, there is no point in both of us getting caught."

"No," she almost screamed back. "We agreed. I won't leave you."

"Trish, the way to help me is to find Grania and Alana, you have to go."

His words ignited something inside of her and she found extra strength to wriggle her way out of Morrigan's grip.

Tears blurred her vision, certain Sean would be dead by the time she found any of the Tutelory Trish made her way into the trees and started to work her way to the upper forest and relative safety.

#

Sean couldn't describe the relief he felt when he saw Trish reach the tree line. He found himself laughing at Morrigan, and that inflamed her anger. "You got away from me once human, that won't happen again!"

Throwing him across the ground, hard enough to knock the wind out of him, Morrigan lunged for Sean once more. Gasping for breath Sean felt Morrigan pick him up again. Just as suddenly he was dropped back onto the ground and Morrigan screamed in anger and pain. In his peripheral vision Sean spotted Gildas swoop down and attack the other Beast.

Morrigan launched herself in a counter attack, the fight was fierce, bloody and short, Sean saw Gildas strike a decisive crippling blow against Morrigan's head, but not before Morrigan had injured Gildas badly in the abdomen. Together they fell to the ground, Morrigan dead on impact.

"Gildas,"shrieked Sean, the panic overwhelming, he reached Gildas' side and tried to press his hands to the wound in an attempt to staunch the blood but the cut was too deep and large. "Oh God. Gildas!"

Gildas raised his head and with clarity Sean found startling he fixed Sean with his eyes. "All I ask is that you relay what happened here to Alastrine, she knows what to do, and we knew that it could come to this. We are winning the fight, good will ... "But before Gildas could finish he groaned and his head fell to the ground. All Sean could manage was to cry, leaning against Gildas' body.

#

The fighting at the camp was unrelenting. Thomas's injury was hampering his ability to fight effectively and Kealad was slowly breaking down his resolve. The Guardian knew to stave off Kealad would take more than skill. So silently he gripped Nikki's sword and hoped that its special nature would come to his aid. Focusing his thoughts onto the blade Thomas felt for its extra power. Soon he could feel a tingle starting up his arm and the edge of the blade glowed light blue. It gave Thomas renewed strength and before long he felt the tide turn in his favour.

After several minutes he gained back the ground that had been lost. With a growl of hatred Kealad realized he was not going to win and with a final flourish worked the fight to the camp's edge before thrusting his sword against Thomas's with such force he lost his balance for a fraction of a second. That was all the time Kealad needed to flee the battle and head into the forest.

#

The main force was holding their own when more Tutelory appeared flying in low over the battleground. The group spilt into two, one column heading over towards Alastrine and Helen, the other heading in the direction of Sean and Gildas. Their arrival surprised Kealad's forces and some of the soldiers threw down their arms the moment they realised reinforcements had arrived.

The more hardened fighters refused to give up but found they were being forced back towards the camp. Helen lost sight of Alastrine but had other Tutelories by her side. The group fought their way into the camp and immediately came across Thomas's fighters. The battle inside the encampment had been won. There was some resistance but a lot of Kealad's supporters lost the taste for killing the moment their leader fled.

Some loyal followers tried to join Kealad in the forest or were providing a final battle line on the edge of the trees.

A roar punched the air and the Tutelory turned as one, the nearest to Helen said. "Come. That is Alastrine calling us to her side."

#

Following the Tutelory Helen soon spotted a large group of allies. On the edge of the group sat Thomas, somebody was bending over his arm blocking her view. Covering the ground quickly Helen soon reached his side but drew up short when she saw blood on Thomas. "Oh god, are you alright?"

His smile was ghostly. "So long as I don't stand up too quickly, I'll be fine. Alastrine is arranging transport back to the village. Alana has already found Sean and taken him back. We need you to come with me. Nikki was headed into the forest. Sean said Trish went into the trees as well. You'll need to arrange a search party to come back here." Thomas groaned as he stood up, Helen offering her support.

#

Blindly Nikki ran on, she tripped a few times landing heavily. Keeping to the upper slopes she slowed down and turned to check behind her when she catapulted into something which yielded slightly before Nikki felt a vice like grip around her arms. To her horror she had run straight into Fenner. Concentrating on her own escape Nikki had completely forgotten about him.

A gloating look crossed Fenners' face and he couldn't contain his glee. "Finally, you've given a lot of people the run around. How appropriate I'll be the one handing Kealad his prize. That reward will be mine."

Nikki slumped in defeat, her back and shoulders were starting to hurt. The painkiller the guard have given her was wearing off. Then, Fenner's eyes widened and he slumped forward knocking Nikki off her feet. Scrambling to get up she saw a large knife sticking out of Fenners' back, fighting the urge to vomit she quickly turned her head and the tracker who had killed her captor came into her view.

The tracker grinned. "I'm not sharing that reward with anybody." Faster than Nikki believed possible she was a prisoner once again. Groaning in despair Nikki let herself be led to where the tracker had left his horse. Grunting he shoved her up against the saddle and ordered. "Don't move," while he hunted in his saddlebag for some rope.

#

Without warning there was a thundering of hooves. Nikki's body gave way and she fell to her knees, the horse she had been leaning against bolted and the hooves she heard were rearing up next to her. Positive she was going to be trampled Nikki leant over, covering her head with her hands. She heard the sickening crunch of bone as the hooves connected with the skull of her attacker. Then there was quiet and a soft nose was nuzzling against her face.

Peering through her hands Nikki could make out the grey muzzle of a horse, looking closer she said in disbelief. "Horace." In confirmation, the stallion whinnied gently against her cheek. She reached up and stroked him. The tears of joy at being rescued mingling into Horace's hair as she hugged his face to her.

#

Horace stood patiently while Nikki composed herself. Not wanting to look at the body, she led him further down the forests path. Unsure how she was going to get aboard without a saddle Nikki looked around for something that she could use as a mounting block. She spied a fallen tree and led Horace over. Once she was mounted, he shook his head and then allowed her to grip onto his mane. He went back towards the camp swiftly but never at a pace that unsettled Nikki. Soon she spotted the remnants of the battle smoke drifting through the air.

Getting closer she could see many lay injured or dead, her heart sank when she realized she had no idea how the others had faired, almost not wanting to know she kicked Horace forwards. Then out of the smoke, she heard a cry. It was Trish's voice. Nikki pulled at the horses' mane to stop him and slid off Horace's back before making her way to where the sound had come from. The undergrowth was thick and at first she couldn't see anything.

Without warning, she broke through and saw Kealad standing about 20 foot away with Trish held captive. He had hold of her hair, pulling her head painfully back. His attention was totally taken up by Trish so he failed to notice the other woman's arrival. Nikki melted back into the undergrowth to try and work out what to do. Kealad had a small single-handed crossbow held against Trish's chin, the tip of the bolt sharp enough to draw blood.

"You bitch. You're going to pay for that. I was going to keep you alive for the fun of it but you managed to change my mind. Too bad, you would have made good sport," the snarl in the dark man's voice clearly carried.

Trish's response was defiant and to her credit her speech didn't waver. "Go to hell!"

Kealad just laughed, the evil sound echoing through the trees. Nikki suddenly realized Trish's bow lay at her feet. She looked again at the scene being played out in front of her and she knew she had to act. It didn't look as though Kealad was going to wait before killing Trish.

#

Picked up the bow, Nikki discovered the quiver containing two arrows close by. Nocking an arrow, Nikki drew the bow in readiness, her tortured back and shoulders almost seemed to scream in pain, and she could already feel sweat building up across her face and body in protest but adrenaline gave her the strength to carry on. Then with calm Nikki didn't believe possible she stepped out into Kealad's view, using a tree to help shield her body from his line of fire.

He failed to notice her and only reacted after she spoke. "Let her go." There was no doubt it was a demand rather than a request.

Kealad laughed again. "Oh, how wonderful, little did I think this was going to end up being such a good day."

"I will kill you if I have to," Nikki stated matter-of-factly.

"You wouldn't have the guts," was spat back.

Nikki moved her lips into a small grimace. "Watch me."

Kealad dug the crossbow bolt a bit deeper into Trish's chin causing her to gasp involuntarily. "Shoot and this bolt gets released, I don't think you'll want to kill your friend."

#

Realizing that Kealad was right Nikki struggled to think clearly. With his finger on the trigger, the slightest pressure was all it would take to release the bowstring. She had to draw his attention away from Trish.

Taking a deep steadying breath Nikki hoped her plan would work. "Well, that would be true, except that you'd be dead as well."

"Hah," the contempt that came from each word was immense. "You honestly expect me to believe that you would kill somebody in cold blood."

Nikki shook her head, glad that the movement cleared some of the sweat that was trickling down her face. With the effort of standing holding the bow, her muscles now screeched in agony, every nerve end seemed to flame with red hot points. "No, you're right, I couldn't kill anybody in cold blood, but you're a waste of space, a loser who has to piggy back on others to try and gain success. I suspect I'd be treated like a hero by people around here."

Relived to see she had guessed correctly Nikki could see that Kealad's ego was inflamed by her words and his anger was directed straight at her. Trish was momentarily forgotten. Watching carefully Nikki saw the very slight moment of Kealad's hand as he started to direct the crossbow in her direction.

#

Kealad's voice sounded uneven from unbridled fury. "That's it. I've had enough of you. I'll kill you first, and then slowly kill your friend, you ..."

" ... bitch, yeah I know, get over it!" Nikki finished the sentence for him as her arrow found its mark, hitting Kealad right between the eyes sending him sprawling backwards. Clattering to the ground the crossbow released its deadly cargo safely away from both women and the bolt embedded itself harmlessly in a tree.

Nocking the other arrow Nikki went and made sure Kealad was dead. Satisfied he would no longer be a threat she knelt and retrieved the crossbow, before going over to her friend. Trish had sunk to her knees and was trembling.

The blond woman looked at Nikki with a pale face and before Nikki could ask if she was all right, Trish mumbled. "Going to be sick," then leant over and retched.

#

Reaching across Nikki softly rubbed her friends back as she waited for Trish to compose herself.

"Feel better?" She gently enquired after a couple of minutes

Nodding Trish didn't quite trust her voice. She looked over at Kealad's body, and finally finding her voice said softly. "Let's get out of here. I don't want to look at that any longer than I have to."

"I know exactly what you mean." Nikki helped Trish to her feet, before she led the way back to where Horace stood. She smiled as he gave his normal little whinny of recognition.

"By the way," a thought struck Nikki. "What did you do that pissed Kealad off so much?"

Despite the ordeal they had been through Trish gave a little chuckle. "Oh that. I kicked him where it hurt."

Flinching at the thought and laughing at the same time Nikki said. "Wow, you go girl."

"Yeah, it was rather satisfying."

Looking around Nikki wasn't sure about where they were, so she asked Trish. "Any idea how far is it to the camp?"

"Not far, it took me about five minutes to get here at a jog, so a little over that."

#

Nikki turning her attention back to Horace and stroked his neck. "I'll see you soon, but for now I've got to ask you to go and find Gildas or Alastrine, lead them back here to collect Kealad's body. With luck, once his followers know he's dead they'll surrender."

Horace whinnied. Nikki smiled. "I knew you'd understand," reluctantly she relinquished her hold and he trotted off. Nikki looked at Trish. "I don't know about you but I've had quite enough for one day, let's go home."

Her friend sighed. "I want a long hot soak in a bath, bubbles. The full works."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful but I'd be happy with a relaxing massage as a starter."

Heartily fed up with feeling dirty, smelly and grimy they walked along trading ideas on what they both wanted to do to pamper themselves for the next week.

#

Approximately ten minutes later they walked into camp, the battle had died down and people were dealing with the aftermath. Both women were utterly exhausted Nikki suffering more than Trish. With her right arm over Trish's shoulder for support the smaller woman found she was taking most of Nikki's weight. The excursions' finally taking their toll on Nikki's battered body. She could hardly put one foot in front of the other and was only vaguely aware of people surrounding them, before strong arms lifted her up and carried her final yards.

Set back down Nikki fell into an embrace immediately recognising the scent that radiated off Helen. Nikki was relieved to find the Scottish woman alive. She felt her body being put down onto something warm and soft and desperately held onto Helen's hand not wanting to break contact. In a voice that sounded far off Nikki said. "Please, don't leave."

Her last conscious thought before the blackness overtook her was hearing Helen's gently reply. "I'm not going anywhere."

#

Waking up Nikki's first impression was of a low murmuring. People were talking nearby. The second thing Nikki realized was the comfort and warmth of the blankets that engulfed her. Slowly opening her eyes, luxuriating in the soft bed, Nikki could see she was back in Gildas's hut. She noticed with relief that she could move with only a little stiffness and without pain.

When she stirred somebody came into view, it was Trish who smiled broadly at her friend. "Hey, good to see you awake. I thought I'd crashed but you beat me by a couple of hours. Alastrine treated your back with some sort of white salve, worked like magic and it healed over straight away."

Still feeling the slightly dissociated sensation you can get after waking from a deep sleep Nikki asked. "How did I get back here?"

"The strung a wooden platform between two of the Tutetory and used that to transport us, they insisted I join you while the others hitched a lift with whoever was heading back to the village."

"Where's Helen?" Nikki suddenly noticed they were the only two in the hut and was immediately worried, especially as she could remember Helen's promise not to leave.

Sensing Nikki's concern Trish was quick to reassure her. "She's fine. After Alastine followed Horace and retrieved Kealad's body the remaining resistance gave up pretty quickly. Garos is so grateful he's capitulating to all the Tutelory requests and has agreed to hold the first council of peace here. Objecting about being dragged into the welcome because she'd promised to stay with you, Helen argued long and hard but eventually had to join the welcoming committee. She'll be back in a minute and once we've all rested properly the council will convene."

"Ok. Makes sense," Nikki paused. "It seems like a blur."

"'Know what you mean." Trish perched on the edge of the bed by Nikki's feet while Nikki sat up and stretched.

#

Replaying the events in her mind Nikki whipped around to face Trish, horror etched on her face. "Oh Gods, Thomas was hurt, is he alright."

A pained sigh escaped Trish lips and Nikki momentarily closed her eyes expecting the worst.

"Thomas is fine, Alastine treated his wounds with the salve she used on you, and he won't even have a scar on his arm."

"But?" Nikki prompted sure Trish was omitting something.

"We weren't going to tell you straight away."

"Tell me what?" Nikki demanded.

"Gildas was wounded and died a short time later, he saved Sean's life."

Tears slipped down Trish face and Nikki gathered her friend up into a hug, the moisture from Trish's crying mingled with her own, both of them aware of how close they had all come to losing each other but also grieving for Gildas's loss.

#

#

#


	24. Chapter 24

© 2005 revised 2011

* * *

_**Well, here it is, the final chapter apart from an epilogue. I have the outline for a follow-up story in my mind, which I pitched to a friend who liked it. However, unlike this one it needs to be written out completely. I plan to give it a try and if it works there will be a sequel at some point. **_

**Again, if you spot any errors, please let me know. **

* * *

Chapter Twenty-four.

* * *

#

The sound of people talking was getting louder, and ultimately the voices entered the hut.

Realizing it was Thomas and Helen, Nikki and Trish hastily wiped their tears. "Sorry," mumbled Nikki. "I … I... I guess the whole thing caught up with me."

"Huh," Trish snorted. "I wasn't much better."

Making sure they were both alright before she spoke Helen asked Nikki. "You heard about Gildas?"

Nikki nodded. "I'm so glad you're both alright, after I saw Thomas get hurt I honestly didn't expect to see anybody again."

"We were lucky," Helen peered over her shoulder. "Er, look I'll stand guard so you can have a shower and get changed." She pointed to one of the small rooms. "They've rigged up a hot water system in there, we've all had a go, it's not the Ritz but it doesn't half feel good. Right, ah, I'll leave you to it." Clapping her hands together she nervously left the building.

#

Bemused Nikki glanced at Thomas and Trish as she said. "Is that woman acting like a nervous teenager?" She couldn't quite believe what she had witnessed.

"Oh yes," Thomas was quick to confirm Nikki's suspicions.

"Why?" the tall woman asked, genuinely confused about what could have caused such a reaction with the Scottish woman.

"Sean has been winding her up something rotten," Trish clarified. Both of them were struggling not to laugh.

"Oh boy," closing her eyes Nikki knew if Sean was in full flow he would give no mercy. "Well, if Helen thinks I'm going to run to her defence she's going to be in for a bit of a shock, I'm not getting in Sean's way."

"She'll sink or swim," agreed Trish.

"It's just what she needs," Thomas said. "It's forcing her to forget about her Father. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy, embarrassed sure, but still happy."

"Thanks Thomas." Nikki knew she owed the Guardian a lot.

Thomas only nodded, understanding what Nikki was trying to say.

"Come on." Trish pulled her friend to her feet. "I'll show you where everything is."

#

Emerging to the new day feeling totally refreshed Nikki took a deep breath of the clear and pure air. Trish and Thomas followed her example. Thankfully very little damage had occurred within The Grith. Even less had been left permanently marred by the battle. Nikki stretched before asking. "When does this meeting take place?"

Thomas pointed to the area used by the Tutelory as a flight deck. "It's already set up, if you want to get this over with it can begin now."

Smiling Nikki greeted Helen and Sean with a slight nod as they joined the group. "Don't get me wrong, I would love to spend more time here, but right now I want to think about getting home, the sooner this is done the sooner we can think about going back to Earth and some sort of normal life, although I doubt things will ever be quite the same again."

"Very well," Thomas led the way. The four behind him linked arms and arrived as united front.

#

Alastrine was heading the council, seats had been placed in a circle so no one person or Tutelory was above another. The humans got their first glimpse of Garos. His face held an uncompromising look, eyes hard by other Guardians standards. He exhibited an ego which annoyed Nikki right away. She hoped Garos would not try to take command now Kealad had been defeated. He looked like the sort of person who would take credit for other people's sacrifices.

Alastrine opened the meeting by reading the names of those that had perished. Gildas's name was the first on the list. In total 250 Guardians or Tutelory lost their lives in defence of The Grith. Alastrine finished with the words. "I declare this meeting open."

In addition to Garos, Alastrine, Thomas and the group from Earth there were representatives from five other Beast tribes, and Daniel was there on behalf of Lucan's household.

"The Grith has to change," Alastrine began her opening argument. "Full Guardianship now falls to the Beasts, The Tutelory will continue to protect Earth but we will now extend our protection to the other realms. From now on no one leader will have full power over such matters, we must stay neutral."

Alastrine paused, gauging the reaction her words were having. "Today this is my pledge. Humans are to become honorary Tutlory. My kin and I extend our Guardianship to all realms, but times of conflict we must be able to call on Carods descendants and their clan."

Immediately Garos objected. "That is simply not acceptable." Garos's vanity quickly got in the way of common sense. "Humans are not worthy of this honour."

"Now look, I won't plead to you as if we are second class ..." Nikki could feel her temper rising at Garos's arrogance when the Guardian interrupted her before she could get the word 'citizens' out of her mouth.

"Humans are not going to interfere. This is a concession too far," he went to rise but Nikki stormed over, her eyes flashing with anger.

She shoved him hard on the shoulder forcing him to remain sitting.

"I don't care who you are," she snarled face to face with him. "But unless by some Grith magic you're sprouting roots and growing, sit the fuck back down and listen to what Alastrine is saying. Gildas and the others gave their lives, unselfishly in case you had forgotten, in order to save your skin so you'd better hear them out and agree to their terms else your reign as leader is going to be bloody short lived!"

#

A moment of indecision passed over his face and for a fleeting moment Nikki thought she had won the argument, but to her disappointment Garos started to argue again.

"Quiet." Alastrine roared. "The humans will be included into this tribe and we will take on full guardianship of all realms and nothing you can say or do will change that. We put the motion to the other tribes and it has been agreed. The safety of The Grith is paramount."

Garos bristled but sensing he could lose a lot more than the argument he finally nodded his consent.

"It is done. All that remains is to ratify these changes and that will be completed by night fall. After that time we take time to grieve those we lost." For the first time since Nikki had known the Tutelory Alastrine's voice wavered with grief.

#

That evening Nikki, Helen, Sean and Trish were waiting inside the hut for Alastrine and Thomas's return. The two of them arrived just after sunset and the flames of the fire and lamps cast warm shadows across the walls.

"Finally we get to thank you my friends, you helped save this realm, and it turn your own world and all the other realms." Alastrine was the first to speak.

"It has been an honour, even though the price was high," sadness tinged Nikki's tone.

"I will lead you home tomorrow and show you the secrets to using the portal that will transport you at will between our two worlds. Thomas is coming with you. He has chosen to stay on Earth as ambassador. Nikki, I have a personal favour to ask, will you please join me outside for a moment?"

Puzzled Nikki motioned to the others to join them. When Nikki stepped outside, a grin lit her face when she realized who was waiting. "Horace." He whinnied and nuzzled against her.

Alastrine explained. "Horace has made a connection to you, when that happens to a Grith horse they stay with that person for life. I know this is a lot to ask, but for his happiness will you take him with you? He can travel with you through the portal at all times if you wish."

Nikki took Helen's hand, and her voice shook with emotion. "I'd love to, believe me it will be as much for my happiness as his. Mum can have him at home until I can find a more suitable place to live."

"Er, slight correction," Helen said. "Until we find a more suitable place to live."

Alastrine looked at them both. "You aim to be joined as a couple?" She inquired.

Nikki nodded. "Yes, on Earth we call it marriage, or a civil ceremony, I was lucky once with Sue, and I'm even more lucky to have found a woman to live up to her memory but without swamping it."

"We only had a minute to talk about all this, but that brings me onto our request," Helen said. "Earth law states that we can marry in our realm, but we would like to hold some sort of celebration here. Could it be arranged, say in a couple of months' time?"

Trish and Sean glanced at each other. "Actually, we'd like to make that a joint service if possible?" said Sean.

"Nothing would bring me greater joy," Alastrine smiled. "I will conduct the joining ceremonies personally. Now, time to celebrate both those who lost their lives the last few days and this wondrous news."

#

The following morning Alastrine led them to a clearing on the eastern side of the village. "Here is your transport point. You may use it at any time you wish. Thomas will lead the way, follow his moves, repeat the words and you will find yourself at your starting point. No-one outside of Carod's clan will witness your arrival, this way your secret will be safe."

"Thank you," Nikki bowed her head. "I look forward to seeing you under happier circumstances."

"As do I Carod's kin, live your life well."

#

Thomas made his way to the transport point, closing his eyes he started to chant, and although it was not a language they recognised, everybody knew what was being said and also how to say the words themselves. Helen took Nikki's hand and Sean took Trish's. The next time the two couples saw each other they were standing back at Stonehenge.

Sean took a deep breath. "Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of home, somebody's muck spreading."

Helen tugged at Nikki's hand. "Come on, we need to see Val."

"No need," Nikki pointed to the parked cars. "She's here."

Looking across Helen saw Nikki was right, Val was running towards them.

#

"Thank god," Val said once she reached them. "I had a dream about Carod last night, I hoped it meant something which why I came down here."

Nikki smiled. "I know if we turn around they're going to be there."

Leading the way Nikki spun 180 degrees to discover she was right, standing in the hollow were her ancestors. They had arrived home, for now the realms were at peace. It was the safest feeling in the world.

#

#

#

Well, here it is, the final chapter apart from an epilogue. I have the outline for a follow-up story in my mind, which I pitched to a friend who liked it. However, unlike this one it needs to be written out completely. I plan to give it a try and if it works there will be a sequel at some point.

Again, if you spot any errors, please let me know.

Chapter Twenty-four.

#

The sound of people talking was getting louder, and ultimately the voices entered the hut.

Realizing it was Thomas and Helen, Nikki and Trish hastily wiped their tears. "Sorry," mumbled Nikki. "I … I... I guess the whole thing caught up with me."

"Huh," Trish snorted. "I wasn't much better."

Making sure they were both alright before she spoke Helen asked Nikki. "You heard about Gildas?"

Nikki nodded. "I'm so glad you're both alright, after I saw Thomas get hurt I honestly didn't expect to see anybody again."

"We were lucky," Helen peered over her shoulder. "Er, look I'll stand guard so you can have a shower and get changed." She pointed to one of the small rooms. "They've rigged up a hot water system in there, we've all had a go, it's not the Ritz but it doesn't half feel good. Right, ah, I'll leave you to it." Clapping her hands together she nervously left the building.

#

Bemused Nikki glanced at Thomas and Trish as she said. "Is that woman acting like a nervous teenager?" She couldn't quite believe what she had witnessed.

"Oh yes," Thomas was quick to confirm Nikki's suspicions.

"Why?" the tall woman asked, genuinely confused about what could have caused such a reaction with the Scottish woman.

"Sean has been winding her up about your relationship something rotten," Trish clarified. Both of them were struggling not to laugh.

"Oh boy," closing her eyes Nikki knew if Sean was in full flow he would give no mercy. "Well, if Helen thinks I'm going to run to her defence she's going to be in for a bit of a shock, I'm not getting in Sean's way."

"She'll sink or swim," agreed Trish.

"It's just what she needs," Thomas said. "It's forcing her to forget about her Father. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy, embarrassed sure, but still happy."

"Thanks Thomas." Nikki knew she owed the Guardian a lot.

Thomas only nodded, understanding what Nikki was trying to say.

"Come on." Trish pulled her friend to her feet. "I'll show you where everything is."

#

Emerging to the new day feeling totally refreshed Nikki took a deep breath of the clear and pure air. Trish and Thomas followed her example. Thankfully very little damage had occurred within The Grith. Even less had been left permanently marred by the battle. Nikki stretched before asking. "When does this meeting take place?"

Thomas pointed to the area used by the Tutelory as a flight deck. "It's already set up, if you want to get this over with it can begin now."

Smiling Nikki greeted Helen and Sean with a slight nod as they joined the group. "Don't get me wrong, I would love to spend more time here, but right now I want to think about getting home, the sooner this is done the sooner we can think about going back to Earth and some sort of normal life, although I doubt things will ever be quite the same again."

"Very well," Thomas led the way. The four people behind him linked arms and arrived as united front.

#

Alastrine was heading the council, seats had been placed in a circle so no one person or Tutelory was above another. The humans got their first glimpse of Garos. His face held an uncompromising look, eyes hard by other Guardians standards. He exhibited an ego which annoyed Nikki right away. She hoped Garos would not try to take command now Kealad had been defeated. He looked like the sort of person who would take credit for other people's sacrifices.

Alastrine opened the meeting by reading the names of those that had perished. Gildas's name was the first on the list. In total 250 Guardians or Tutelory lost their lives in defence of The Grith. Alastrine finished with the words. "I declare this meeting open."

In addition to Garos, Alastrine, Thomas and the group from Earth there were representatives from five other Beast tribes, and Daniel was there on behalf of Lucan's household.

"The Grith has to change," Alastrine began her opening argument. "Full Guardianship now falls to the Beasts, The Tutelory will continue to protect Earth but we will now extend our protection to the other realms. From now on no one leader will have full power over such matters, we must stay neutral."

Alastrine paused, gauging the reaction her words were having. "Today this is my pledge. Humans are to become honorary Tutlory. My kin and I extend our Guardianship to all realms, but during times of conflict we must be able to call on Carods descendants and their clan."

Immediately Garos objected. "That is simply not acceptable." Garos's vanity quickly got in the way of common sense. "Humans are not worthy of this honour."

"Now look, I won't plead to you as if we are second class ..." Nikki could feel her temper rising at Garos's arrogance when the Guardian interrupted her before she could get the word 'citizens' out of her mouth.

"Humans are not going to interfere. This is a concession too far," he went to rise but Nikki stormed over, her eyes flashing with anger.

She shoved him hard on the shoulder forcing him to remain sitting.

"I don't care who you are," she snarled face to face with him. "But unless by some Grith magic you're sprouting roots and growing, sit the fuck back down and listen to what Alastrine is saying. Gildas and the others gave their lives, unselfishly in case you had forgotten, in order to save your skin so you'd better hear them out and agree to their terms else your reign as leader is going to be bloody short lived!"

#

A moment of indecision passed over his face and for a fleeting moment Nikki thought she had won the argument, but to her disappointment Garos started to argue again.

"Quiet." Alastrine roared. "The humans will be included into this tribe and we will take on full guardianship of all realms and nothing you can say or do will change that. We put the motion to the other tribes and it has been agreed. The safety of The Grith is paramount."

Garos bristled but sensing he could lose a lot more than the argument he finally nodded his consent.

"It is done. All that remains is to ratify these changes and that will be completed by night fall. After that time we take time to grieve those we lost." For the first time since Nikki had known the Tutelory Alastrine's voice wavered with grief.

#

That evening Nikki, Helen, Sean and Trish were waiting inside the hut for Alastrine and Thomas's return. The two of them arrived just after sunset and the flames of the fire and lamps cast warm shadows across the walls.

"Finally we get to thank you my friends, you helped save this realm, and it turn your own world and all the other realms." Alastrine was the first to speak.

"It has been an honour, even though the price was high," sadness tinged Nikki's tone.

"I will lead you home tomorrow and show you the secrets to using the portal that will transport you at will between our two worlds. Thomas is coming with you. He has chosen to stay on Earth as ambassador. Nikki, I have a personal favour to ask, will you please join me outside for a moment?"

Puzzled Nikki motioned to the others to join them. When Nikki stepped outside, a grin lit her face when she realized who was waiting. "Horace." He whinnied and nuzzled against her.

Alastrine explained. "Horace has made a connection to you, when that happens to a Grith horse they stay with that person for life. I know this is a lot to ask, but for his happiness will you take him with you? He can travel with you through the portal at all times if you wish."

Nikki took Helen's hand, and her voice shook with emotion. "I'd love to, believe me it will be as much for my happiness as his. Mum can have him at home until I can find a more suitable place to live."

"Er, slight correction," Helen said. "Until we find a more suitable place to live."

Alastrine looked at them both. "You aim to be joined as a couple?" She inquired.

Nikki nodded. "Yes, on Earth we call it marriage, or a civil ceremony, I was lucky once with Sue, and I'm even more lucky to have found a woman to live up to her memory but without swamping it."

"We only had a minute to talk about all this, but that brings me onto our request," Helen said. "Earth law states that we can marry in our realm, but we would like to hold some sort of celebration here. Could it be arranged, say in a couple of months' time?"

Trish and Sean glanced at each other. "Actually, we'd like to make that a joint service if possible?" said Sean.

"Nothing would bring me greater joy," Alastrine smiled. "I will conduct the joining ceremonies personally. Now, time to celebrate both those who lost their lives the last few days and this wondrous news."

#

The following morning Alastrine led them to a clearing on the eastern side of the village. "Here is your transport point. You may use it at any time you wish. Thomas will lead the way, follow his moves, repeat the words and you will find yourself at your starting point. No-one outside of Carod's clan will witness your arrival, this way your secret will be safe."

"Thank you," Nikki bowed her head. "I look forward to seeing you under happier circumstances."

"As do I Carod's kin, live your life well."

#

Thomas made his way to the transport point, closing his eyes he started to chant, and although it was not a language they recognised, everybody knew what was being said and also how to say the words themselves. Horace was standing at Nikki's right side when Helen took Nikki's hand and Sean took Trish's. The next time the two couples saw each other they were standing back at Stonehenge.

Sean took a deep breath. "Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of home, somebody's muck spreading."

Helen tugged at Nikki's hand. "Come on, we need to see Val."

"No need," Nikki pointed to the parked cars. "She's here."

Looking across Helen saw Nikki was right, Val was running towards them.

#

"Thank god," Val said once she reached them. "I had a dream about Carod last night, I hoped it meant something which why I came down here."

Nikki smiled. "I know if we turn around they're going to be there."

Leading the way Nikki spun 180 degrees to discover she was right, standing in the hollow were her ancestors. They had arrived home, for now the realms were at peace. It was the safest feeling in the world.

#

#

#


	25. Chapter 25

© 2005 revised 2011

* * *

**Well, here it is, I have a few errors to edit out on some of the previous chapters, but real life has crept up on me until at least Wednesday, but I will get around to it, just wanted to thank for the heads up from a reader. **

* * *

Epilogue:

* * *

Nine months had passed, Helen, Nikki, Sean and Trish had got married in a joint ceremony a month after they returned home. That had been quickly followed by a bonding ceremony in The Grith. Val found, to her delight, that she was able to travel freely between the realms and joined her daughter for the main celebration at the Tutelories village.

Life was slowly returning to normal. Helen and Nikki had bought a small remote farmhouse with 10 acres of pasture and 2 acres of woodland close to Nikki's parents, Nikki and Horace loving their time together as they explored the local countryside. Sean and Trish had also moved, finding the perfect house a mile from their friends. Thomas had relocated to Wiltshire and fell in love with Trish's old house. It was a sale that suited both parties perfectly.

Once a week they tried to get together, work permitting. Today Helen and Nikki were hosting the group. Summer was starting to dominate and the weekend had dawned cool but bright.

#

Annoyed Nikki tossed the pot into the corner. Helen alerted by the noise appeared in the doorway. "Whoa, what did that poor thing ever do to you?

"Nothing, I'm just fed up of empty spaces, I want results."

Helen moved up behind Nikki, put her arms around Nikki's waist and nuzzled her chin against Nikki's neck. "What would you like to see happen?"

Nikki gestured to the plant pots that remained unscathed from her tirade. "These damned seeds, I swear they're lying in wait, mocking me, nothing seems to want to grow. A few seedlings, that's all I want, I planted them in plenty of time. I know I did. I'm not greedy, surely that's not too much to ask? Is it?"

Helen buried her head into the tall woman's shoulder and Nikki could feel Helen's body rocking slightly from laughter. "Admit it, you don't have green fingers."

"Maybe you're right," Nikki agreed in a resigned tone. "It's more like black thumb. And from a farmer's daughter, Dad must be mortified."

Nikki turned and linked her hands behind Helen's neck. "That's it. I surrender. From now on the garden is your responsibility."

"I think I can agree to that, so, are we ready to greet our guests? They should be here any second now."

"Any idea what the big surprise is?"

"Not a clue, all I got out of Sean while we were at work was a Cheshire cat grin."

#

Closing her eyes, Nikki dropped her head and groaned. "Oh no, if you got that then it's something extreme, you're about to witness one of Sean's hare-brained schemes."

Helen lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "Why? What sort of thing has he done in the past?"

Nikki opened her eyes and said. "Let's see, one time he spent a whole night painting the entire outfield of the local cricket pitch bright pink to promote breast cancer awareness week. Trouble was he forgot to ask permission first and didn't use the correct type of paint and they were playing on a pink pitch for weeks. I can't begin to explain how the stripes looked once the grass grew and they were able to start cutting it out. The team still gets ribbed about it."

Nikki waited for Helen's explosion of laughter to calm down before she continued. "Then there was the time he decided to get Trish a 'really cool birthday present'. He went to all the expense of buying a series of sailing lessons for her, great idea, only she gets sea sick just looking at boating pond which, in Sean's excitement to impress, he clean forgot about. Or the time he decided to take up off-road driving, joined the local green lane club. In his first competition he missed the turn into the river, the Land Rover sank up to its roof, Sean and his co-driver got out fine and waited for somebody to rescue them but to add insult to injury the canoeist going past asked if he wanted a tow. Sean can laugh about it now, but even his legendary sense of humour failed him that day. Then there... "

"Alright, alright, I get the idea." Helen visibly cringed at what Sean might have planned. "Can we cancel?" She added hopefully.

"Too late," Nikki glanced over Helen's shoulder hearing a noise in the distance. "There goes the doorbell."

#

Leading Nikki by the hand Helen opened the front door, and they were greeted by Val, Thomas, Sean and Trish.

"Mum," Nikki's eyebrows rose in surprise as she embraced her Mother. "Lovely to see you."

"You too, I understand Sean has a surprise for everybody this evening. And it seems I was also invited."

"Do you know what it's all about?" Helen took her turn to hug Val.

"Not a word. All I got from him was a smug grin."

"He's certainly looking smug," Nikki agreed as she turned her attention to the others. "I just hope it's nothing too outrageous."

"Outrageous, me?" Sean pretended to look affronted. "All will be revealed once we have availed ourselves of your facilities and this charming woman has fed us. I expect only the best and tales of you slaving over a hot stove."

"Sorry Nikki, he wouldn't even tell me." Trish looked apologetic.

"Oh well, if that's the case and if people are hungry, we can eat straight away. As for Sean's assertion that I had been slaving over a hot stove, I hate to disappoint him only Helen cooked this evening."

#

An hour later Sean led the group back outside and headed up to the wood that ran alongside the house.

"Well, I can't begin to imagine what he's cooked up this time." Nikki was brought up short when out of nowhere Alastrine appeared in front of them. Perfectly camouflaged against the trees, she was only visible to the group of people in front of her.

"God, give a person a bit of warning," Helen had visibly jumped at the sight.

"Cool things these projectors," Sean enthused.

"I am sorry," said Alastrine. "I contacted Sean yesterday while he was working alone at the dig site and he refused to let me pass on any messages saying he wanted to surprise everybody."

"He certainly managed that," Helen muttered.

"My Lady," Thomas nodded a formal greeting. "It is an honour to see you again, I trust you are well and peace still reigns."

"Thanks to all your efforts peace has been achieved, this is why I wanted to share this news with you." Alastrine motioned to somebody out of the projectors sight, then, hesitantly, a very young Tutelory calf appeared, obviously viewing the projector with suspicion.

#

Alastrine beamed with joy. "My allies, unbeknownst to us all at the time of the great battle I was pregnant with Gildas's child. I would like to introduce Gildas the younger."

The young calf mewled at his Mother.

"Alastrine that's wonderful news," Nikki was clearly delighted. "I'm so glad some good came out of that loss."

"As am I," Alastrine's voice took on a wistful quality. "And for that reason I invite you all to the naming ceremony. 'Tis to take place one league from now."

Thomas took a moment to work out the time difference. "That is one month in human terms." he confirmed the date.

Nikki looked at everybody and saw they were all as excited as she was at such an honour. "Then in one month we shall gather at Stonehenge for transport to The Grith."

"I look forward to seeing you at that time."

Young Gildas was obviously getting restless. Alastrine regarded the youngster with affection. "I take my leave."

Bowing goodbye to them one final time Alastrine and her son winked out of sight.

The End?


End file.
